Hidden Away
by Setsuna Eleison
Summary: [Chap12] Miyuki is a bizarre and out-of-reach girl who shields herself from other people. What happens when she meets Mitsui who is willing to save her from almost anything? MitOC with a bit of RyoAya
1. Chapter 1: I'm Not That Bad

**Disclaimer: **I do not own slam dunk, its characters and original storyline. Just wish I did… peace

**Note: Somehow this chapter suddenly vanished!! heheh.. for the readers before, this is the same chapter one.. I just made some minor adjustments... Thanks.. New readers. hope you like this one... **

**Hidden Away**

Asteria13

**Chapter 1: I'm Not That Bad**

Miyuki Kanazumi

It was a bright, sunny morning in Shinjuku. Spring was amidst Japan as the plants grew again after a very chilly winter. Miyuki Kanazumi gazed at the surrounding plants and houses from the window of the family car. Her deep green eyes scanned the scenery, hoping that she can picture out everything in her mind for eternity. She tapped her pencil on the window and carefully sketched out their house. They were moving to Kanagawa that day. It was a real shock to her when her parents told her about the idea. But what can she do about it? Her mom was transferred to a higher-paying job at Tokyo as a computer analyst. Her older brother, Kaname will be working part-time with their mother on the same company, at the same time will be studying at Tokyo University.

_Yes, my brother.. _Miyuki thought.

Her brother was the greatest computer analyst and programmer in Japan. He is only 18 but the computer industry in Japan owes him a lot. Miyuki and Kaname don't talk that much at home. They were busy doing their work separately. But now that they are moving at Tokyo, Kaname will be renting his own pad, away from her sister and her knowledge. Miyuki felt her brother's hatred for her ever since she was born. Miyuki, never knew love, never knew care and never care if someone gets in trouble. No one really knew who Miyuki Kanazumi is. Not even her mother, or her brother.

_She is not my sister, and she is not your daughter!!! _Kaname cried out as he stared at her cold, deep green eyes.

Her eyes that always showed a blank, cold expression. Those were the eyes that her brother hated. Her ignorance of real human feelings. Her real feelings, buried beneath the knowledge she stacked up in her brain ever since she learned. She was a genius. Yet her heart was cold. Her brother is really a nice guy, and maybe a great brother. But maybe, he just can't stand Miyuki, the cold genius who never cared about anyone, not even herself.

"Time to go now, honey", her mother said as she tapped the window disturbing Miyuki's flashback.

Her mother entered the driver's seat and strapped her seatbelt. Kaname entered the front passenger seat. He looked at Miyuki in the rear view mirror. Miyuki stared back at him with her usual expressionless eyes. Kaname sighed and looked at the view outside.

"I hope you will like your new home, Miyuki," her mother said as she looked at her daughter's beautiful yet expressionless face.

Miyuki's eyes darted at her mother, "You're going to leave me all alone inKanagawa aren't you?" Her mother was starled, yet she tried to be caring as much as possible.

"Miyuki, you don't understand—"

"Stop pretending that you care, human emotions are nothing but pretentious lies. Fine, leave me… I don't need anyone anyway." Miyuki said in a calm yet stern voice.

Her mother was used to her intelligent phrases. She just kept silent and drove to Kanagawa, which was a 2-hour drive.

_Human Emotions, is only a signal from our brain when we feel something different. You can always fake emotions. It is only a burden for me to acquire new knowledge. Knowledge on how to transcend death, on how to gamble with life and death and get more information. People can only be a burden. _

Her life as a genius is as miserable as death is. She is just like a ghost and knowledge is her source of life.

Ryota Miyagi

"Ryota!!! Wake up you sleepyhead!!! You'll be late for school!!." Her mother called out while knocking the door loudly.

Ryota groaned as he covered himself under his blanket.

"If you don't get up that bed Ryota—"

"Alright, alright!!!" Ryota called out while sitting on his bed.

He dragged his feet and went to the bathroom and had a quick shower. Then he went down to the kitchen and ate breakfast. He then noticed a truck in front of their old neighbor's house, which belonged to a teacher.

"Hey, when did sensei move out??" Ryota asked her mom

"Well, she moved out a few days ago, you don't know?" Ryota nodded as he ate a spoonful of cereals.

"You know only a high school girl will live there" her mother added.

Ryota nodded. _A girl!!! I wonder what she looks like, maybe she's as hot as Ayako!!! _He grinned at the thought.

"What are you grinning at young man? Get dressed! Hayaku!." her mother snapped.

Ryota went upstairs in a hurry to get dressed. As he was done, he noticed someone on the window beside his room. It was a girl, with long brownish black hair cascading down her back. He can tell from afar that she is really pretty.

_That must be the new girl!!_ Ryota said excitedly.

He hurriedly fled their house and waited outside. He then saw the girl. She was a very beautiful girl indeed. However, her expressionless face hides away much of her beauty.

_Wait a minute, is she wearing the Shohoku High uniform?_ Ryota asked himself. He approached the girl who was walking ahead of him.

"Hey, excuse me.." Ryota tapped her shoulder.

The girl turned around with her usual facial expression. Ryota can't help but notice how beautiful her deep green eyes were. It left him dumbfounded for a minute.

_Excuse me._ A voice interrupted him.

"How may I help you?" the girl asked

"Uhm, yeah.. You're the newbie who moved in yesterday, right? I'm Ryota Miyagi from next door. Pleasure to meet you!" he said as he bowed slightly.

"Merry meet.. I'm Miyuki Kanazumi from Shinjuku. How do you do?" she said as she bowed slightly maintaining her expressionless face.

_Hey, she's really cute… but not my type of girl._ Ryota thought.

"So, I believe you'll be joining me in Shohoku High." Ryota said eyeing her uniform.

"Yeah, I will." Miyuki simply said.

"Would you mind if I walk with you? It is pretty lonely to walk by yourself you know." Ryota said with a grin.

"I'm used to it, but okay I'll walk with you" Miyuki said as he looked him in the eye.

_Man, this girl sure don't know how to smile._ Ryota thought.

_Ryota Miyagi, he's an interesting guy, maybe I'll learn something new from him. _Miyuki thought.

They walked together to Shohoku High. Ryota told stories about his school on their way. He told him about how guys can be weird or sarcastic or notorious in their school. He also told her about their basketball team.

As they reached the campus, Ryota suddenly stopped dead on his tracks. Miyuki looked at him blankly.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around. I'll be meeting my pals somewhere. Ja ne!!" Ryota said as he smiled and waved goodbye.

Miyuki stood there as the wind blew her tresses lightly. Her deep green eyes followed him in her gaze. She continued walking to the hallway where her class is posted.

When Ryota was sure that Miyuki is gone, he ran like hell upstairs to the rooftop of the school. He completely forgot he was going to meet someone special.

_I can't believe this! It completely slipped my mind!! And to think I told my mother to wake me up early!!!, _Ryota thought as he make his way to the rooftop.

Ayako

_I have been waiting here for so long I could jump this stupid rooftop!!_ Ayako thought as she drummed her fingers on the concrete bench. She's been waiting for Ryota for quite sometime now. It was their first day of school. Ryota was the one who suggested for Ayako to be his company before school starts. It was a long vacation. Of course, the funky basketball player really missed their team manager and friend. But it is not really right to be late for something you yourself set. Ayako sighed and stood up when she heard the door opened and called her name.

"Ayako-chan"

She turned around and saw Ryota Miyagi, her long-time friend.

_Is it me, or is Ayako getting prettier_ Ryota thought when Ayako turned to face him.

Ryota was lost in his thoughts when suddenly; Ayako's ever so reliable fan hit him on the head.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Ryota protested as he stepped back a little

"Well Mr. Let's-meet-at-the-rooftop guy, your 30 minutes LATE!! And it is really unethical to make a girl wait." Ayako said charmingly yet she looked at Ryota sternly.

"Gomen nasai Ayako-chan, I'll just treat you with ice cream after school, that okay with you?" Ryota said bowing lightly.

"Are you sure?" Ayako said excitedly. "Okay!! But I'm not angry at you, you slowpoke!!" Ayako then hit him again with her trademark fan. Ryota just avoided the fan as much as he could. Ayako and Ryota just smiled and settled their little "problem".

"So, it's only ten minutes 'til the bell rings. Shall we go then?" Ayako said.

They went downstairs to the hallways to check which section they were in. As they were walking, they talked about why Ryota was awfully late that morning.

"So, a new girl moved next door to your house." Ayako said as they walked down the hall

"Yeah, she is kind of weird. No matter how much I try joke about something, she never smiles. She just tells me that I'm really funny." Ryota said smiling.

"Well, maybe she's just shy. After all she just moved here, what could you expect?" Ayako replied.

They then consulted the bulletin board in which their classes were posted. However, there were a lot of people crowding the board.

"Oh, what a way to go!" Ryota murmured as he tried to push through the crowd.

"Still pretty short eh, Miyagi", a voice said. He turned around and saw that it was his teammate Hisashi Mitsui. "Been a while pal!" Mitsui tapped him on the shoulder. Ryota smiled and gave him a light punch on the elbows.

"Yeah, what can I say then?" Ryota replied.

"Mitsui, it's been a while!!" Ayako called out.

"Hey, Ayako. How are you doing?" Mitsui smiled and greeted Ayako.

Mitsui and Ayako talked for a while. Ryota then managed to look at the papers posted on the bulletin board. He then found his name, then Ayako's name. They were classmates for two straight years in a row. _This is great! Another year with Ayako!!_ He thought. He then scanned for other names. _Wonder what's in store for this year. _He thought. The bell then rang. Ayako and Mitsui ended their conversation and Mitsui waved goodbye to Ryota. Ayako and Ryota then walked to their classroom.

"Okay class! Welcome to another new year here in Shohoku High! I'm your homeroon teacher for this year. I'm Mikami-sensei." Mr. Mikami, their homeroom teacher said.

Everyone was very noisy. Some were chatting with old friends, some was making new friends, and some was busy staring at the window, still having the "vacation hangover". Ayako chatted with the girl sitting next to her. Ryota talked with one of the substitute players of the Shohoku team. Then, a girl entered the room and handed the teacher a small paper. The teacher nodded as he turned to face the class. He called for everyone's attention.

"Alright, class! We have a new student here in our class. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates." The teacher said.

_Miyuki? Whew, the world sure is small. _Ryota said as he looked at Miyuki standing in front.

"Konnichiwa! My name is Miyuki Kanazumi. I'm a transfer student from Shinjuku. How do you do?" Miyuki greeted without even a single trace of smile or even enthusiasm. Mr. Mikami said a few words to the class as Miyuki scanned the room and the students in it. She then saw Ryota next to the window looking at her, smiling. She then nodded. _So, that Miyagi character is here in this class too. This is sure interesting. _She thought.

"At least I expect a smile from that girl." Ryota said to himself. "Oh well, she is still kind of cute even without smiling."

"You were saying something, Miyagi?" his seatmate said.

"Nothing, don't mind me.." he denied.

"Alright Miyuki, I'll be assigning you to your seat." Mr. Mikami said as he looked around for a vacant seat. "Ah, yes. You can sit next to Ayako, the girl with the curly hair." He added as he pointed the seat next to Ayako. Miyuki then walked to the vacant chair next to Ayako and settled there. She kept silent for a while. Ayako looked at Miyuki who was busy listening to the teacher.

_Wow, she's pretty attractive. So this is the girl Ryota was talking about earlier. She really doesn't smile. But she's so pretty, it's almost a waste. _Ayako thought.

Miyuki then faced Ayako with her usual expression. Ayako was surprised and pretended to look away.

"Is there something wrong?" Miyuki asked

"Nothing! I'm sorry I was looking at you like that. By the way I'm Ayako" Ayako stammered and smiled.

"It's alright. I'm Miyuki, merry meet." Miyuki replied. She then looked away and listened to the teacher once again.

_Her eyes, it's really beautiful. No doubt about it. Ryota was right. _Ayako thought.

The hours passed by swiftly. Ayako wanted to know more about Miyuki or at least be friends with her. But it seems during their breaks, Miyuki would just vanish into thin air. She would chat with her sometimes, but it seems she's not that fond of talking. But she was nice, in spite of her expressionless face and silence. No one would notice where she went. Before she knew it, it was dismissal time already. Ayako then fixed her things in her locker. Ryota then approached her.

"So, how's Miyuki as a seatmate?" Ryota asked.

"Well, she is nice. However she is always blank. It's like she has the world on her shoulders or something." Ayako replied.

"Okay, let's talk about that while eating what I promised to you." Ryota said as she dragged Ayako and walked towards the gate..

Miyuki was walking down the hall. She was on her way out and was very eager to go home. She then noticed Ayako and Ryota walking towards the gate. She didn't mind them at first. Ryota noticed her and called out her name, Miyuki then turned and stopped walking.

"Hey there Miyuki! What's up?" Ryota greeted.

"Well, nothing much really. I was about to home." Miyuki replied.

"Hey why don't you come with us Miyuki? Ryota will be treating us if you do!" Ayako said.

_Okay, I'm treating two lovely gals. Good thing I just got my allowance!_ Ryota thought.

"Please. We won't be long I promise." Ayako pleaded.

"Well, it's okay, I guess. Sure." Miyuki said still a bit hesitated.

"Okay! Off we go then!" Ryota said as the three walked towards the nearest shop.

_Well, she does like company after all. This is great!_ Ayako thought. She looked at Miyuki who was listening to Ryota. _I hope she'll like her stay here in Shohoku High._

Hisashi Mitsui

It was a long first day for Mitsui. He still has the "vacation hangover" and thought of going straight home after school to get some shut-eye. As we walked past the hallway, his mind was completely blank. He then went to his locker and placed his books there. No one else but him was around. Then, a student walked in the hallway and opened one of the lockers beside Mitsui's. Mitsui then realized it was a girl. He didn't paid much attention about her at first, but when the girl looked at him, he was completely startled.

"Oh, Gomen nasai! Did I do something wrong?" Mitsui stammered.

"No, none at all. I just wanted to see who is beside me so I thought of looking at you, that's all." Miyuki replied.

_Wow, this girl sure is pretty. _Mitsui thought as he looked at her.

"Well, I better go now. I guess I'll see you around." Miyuki replied as she bowed lightly and walked away.

Mitsui stood still in the hallway. "Oh well, maybe its just attraction." Mitsui thought as he closed his locker and walked towards the gates. His mind was completely occupied with something else.

_That girl. There's something about her._ Mitsui thought. On his way home he passed by a soda fountain shop. Ayako, Miyagi and Miyuki sat near the window as they waited for their orders. Miyagi saw Mitsui walking outside. He ran to the door and called out Mitsui.

"Hey! Mitsui…", Miyagi called.

Mitsui looked back and saw Miyagi at the door. He approached him and gave him a light punch.

"Hey, come join us. We're having a snack." Miyagi invited as he dragged Mitsui inside the shop.

At the table, Ayako and Miyuki talked about anything under the sun. It's a surprise that Miyuki and her share some common interest. Miyuki never smiled, but Ayako saw the enthusiam in Miyuki's eyes. It seems like Miyuki is at ease with Ayako and shared some of her topics.

Mitsui and Miyagi approached the table. "Hey! Look who dropped by! Miyagi called as he pointed his thumb to Mitsui.

"Mitsui! Glad you thought of joining us!!" Ayako cheerfully said.

Miyagi sat next to Ayako as Mitsui seated at the other chair. He looked beside him and saw her, the girl she saw earlier.

"Hey, you're the girl who oens the locker beside me, right?" Miyagi said looking at Miyuki.

Miyuki looked at Mitsui and simply nodded. Ayako smiled.

"So, It seems you bumped into each other already! Mitsui, I'd like you to meet Miyuki Kanazumi, a classmate of ours.", Ayako said pointing at Miyuki.

"It's nice to meet you Mitsui-sempai" Miyuki greeted.

The 4 then spend some time at the shop. Before they knew it, it was sunset already. The 4 then decided to go home. Ayako and Mitsui separated ways as Miyagi and Miyuki went home together. While walking. Miyagi looked at Miyuki who was silent since they left the shop. Miyuki noticed Miyagi and asked, "Is there something wrong, Miyagi?" Miyagi smiled and simply shook his head.

_I'm glad Ayako and Miyuki got along fine. She's not so bad after all. _Miyagi thought.

When they reached their houses, Miyagi looked at Miyuki.

"Guess, we'll see each other around, Ja ne. Oyazumi!" Miyagi said as he waved. Miyuki nodded and walked into her house. Miyuki fixed her things, had a quick shower and curled herself to sleep. She was alone now. No one cares for her, anyway.

_And I'm not even sure if Ayako cares for me. _She thought as she buried herself in the covers. She was at ease with Ayako. She found a friend, after all those time.

**Okie,, review time!! hope you enjoyed this.. heheh.. sorry again for the minor problem with this chapter.. **


	2. Chapter 2: We're Not That Different

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk, its characters and its storyline.. Wai!! I could just dream of it.. hehe**

_**First and foremost, I would like to say a big, bug, BIG thank you to those people who reviewed the first chapter: autumnchloe, rayearthann, my good friend MEITSI-WONG and iron duke. Hope you like this chapter.**_

**Chapter 2: **

It has been a month since the formal lessons started at Shohoku High. Miyagi woke up feeling a bit groggy but he managed to prepare himself for school. As he went out his house, he saw Miyuki walking ahead of him. He jogged to catch up on her.

"Ohayou gozaimas!" He greeted Miyuki.

"Ohayou Miyagi-san!" she greeted back.

She still has her usual expression but Miyagi didn't mind it. They walked to school together and went to their classroom. Miyuki seated in her usual place beside Ayako. The two then talked about anything under the sun. Miyuki told stories of what happened to her back in Shinjuku. Ayako listened as she shared some of her funny experiences, without the smile again. Ryota watched them from his desk. He was happy for Miyuki. And he can't even explain why.

The bell rang but the students didn't mind it until the teacher arrived and tapped a wooden ruler on the desk. Everyone kept silent at the sight of the teacher. She was a tall, slim teacher on her 40's. She wore glasses and kept a stern face. It was their Literature teacher. She started to scribble some words on the blackboard and began to explain their first lesson, which was about Confucius. Some students were busy daydreaming, like Miyagi. Some were busy drawing doodles on a piece of paper. The class is really boring. Ayako was silent as she was listening to the teacher. She looked at Miyuki who has this weird expression on her face, like she was confused or something.

_Does she have trouble in understanding sensei?_ Ayako thought.

Then, the teacher struck the table with her ruler. Everyone woke up from some kind of a trance. The teacher was very furious.

"What will become of you if you don't listen to what I'm saying? Be thankful I'm teaching you the right stuff!" she said sternly.

The teacher also had a history of being an arrogant and is very confident about the accuracy of her lessons. The class was silent. Suddenly, a voice was heard calling the teacher.

"Sensei, may I please say something?" Miyuki asked as she raised her hand.

The teacher called her and she stood up. She kept silent for a while. The she began to speak.

"I believe what you've been teaching us about Confucius is highly incorrect and some were only theories that was not yet proven and you say it is a fact. I believe his basis of philosophy is about right living and not about anything that you have mentioned earlier. And Confucius did compiled his teachings and quotations in a book called the Confucian Analects before he died in 479 B.C. Confucius was not even considered a religion but rather, he was a rationalist who takes no account to spiritualism." Miyuki explained as her eyes darted the teacher.

She added, "I believe you've been teaching us the wrong stuff and yet you say you're teachings are accurate?"

The teacher was dumbfounded after Miyuki's surprising explanation. Her student knew a lot more than her, and it is a complete humiliation for a teacher to lack information in Japan. She grew pale and weak and stood there looking at her student.

_This just can't be. It just can't happen!_ She thought.

The teacher then walked quickly out of the classroom and closed the door behind her. Everyone in the classroom was silent, their eyes all fixed on Miyuki as she seated herself and opened her book.

_What was that all about? She knew Confucius already and yet that topic was not even discussed ever. She even knew a lot than our teacher. _Ayako wondered.

Miyuki was silent the whole day, but she breaks her silence every time she points out some correction to the teacher's work. The teachers don't even know how to react. Some just shrugged off the idea, some just changed the topic. Soon she became the topic of the faculty room. Some were already afraid of entering that class for fear of being pointed at. Miyuki was more advanced than her teachers, and everyone wondered why, including Ayako. Miyuki didn't mention to her anything about her being advanced. Then, another teacher came inside the room. It was their Math teacher. The teacher carefully explained the lesson and was teaching some easy stuff for today.

_Sensei sure is teaching some easy stuff today. Maybe he doesn't want to get ridiculed at. _Miyagi thought as he snickered.

Miyuki slowly raised her hand and called the teacher. The teacher became pale and called Miyuki to stand up. Miyuki then explained his mistake in his diagram as polite as possible. Suddenly, the teacher grew numb and humiliated at the same time.

"You.. You're.. you're not normal!" He stammered as he pointed at Miyuki and grew frightened.

"You're not normal.. You're not a normal student!!! What are you planning to do? humiliate us to death!!" the teacher snapped as he pointed at Miyuki.

Ayako stood up and tried to calm the teacher. Miyuki's deep green eyes widened as she stared at the teacher who was almost cursing her to death. She bowed her head, her hair covering up her face. She closed her eyes as flashbacks played in her mind.

_You're not normal!!! You never were and you never will be! _

_You're not my sister!!_ _My sister is not anything like you!!_

Miyagi noticed Miyuki's expression and stood up to approach her. But before he can, Miyuki ran outside the classroom and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a while and ran upstairs. Miyagi opened the door and looked for Miyuki, but she was nowhere to be found.

_Darn! Where is she?_ _What in the world is going on? _Miyagi wondered.

"Ryota!", Ayako called out and approached him

"Where's Miyuki-chan?" Ayako asked as she looked around.

"I don't know. I'll look for her, you take care of sensei." Miyagi replied as he ran outside. Ayako went back to the classroom and helped the teacher.

Meanwhile, Miyuki was running blindly in the hallway. Her eyes were full of tears, but she refused to let them fall down her cheeks. She doesn't want to cry. _They don't deserve my tears. They're just incompetent beings!_ _If I cry, I'll.. I'll be inferior! _she thought as she picked up her pace. She turned at a corner and bumped into someone and they both fell on the floor.

"Gomen nasai!" Miyuki apologized as she stood up and wanted to run away again.

"Hey, wait a sec!" someone said as he ran after her. When Miyuki looked back, it was Mitsui.

_Whoa! What the hell is going on?_ Mitsui thought.

"Gomen nasai! I'm in a hurry Mitsui-sempai!" Miyuki called out and ran as fast as she can. Mitsui, being a basketball player and a fast runner too, he managed to catch up and grabbed Miyuki by the hand.

"Let me go!!", Miyuki screamed as she tried to struggle out of his grasp.

"If you don't let me go sempai, I'm afraid I'll have to bite your hand off!!" Miyuki said as she struggled.

Mitsui then pulled Miyuki close to him and held her in his arms. "Nice try, I'm afraid I'm not going to let you go unless you tell me why you were running like hell like that." Mitsui said softly. Tears were present in Miyuki's eyes. She doesn't want to sob or to cry.

"Don't I have the right to live at all Mitsui-sempai? Am I not like you at all?" Miyuki asked Mitsui was surprised. She let go of Miyuki and looked at her, confused. Miyuki looked up to him with her tearful, green eyes and then lowered her head.

"People… tend to get judgmental to people who are different from them and lie about what to judge to those people who are indifferent to them." Miyuki said. "I'm different form you, I'm different from Ayako-san. And I'm different… from Miyagi-kun…" she slowly added. The two didn't realize that Miyagi and Ayako were there as they listened to Miyuki.

"Whoever said you're different? I can't recall anything about Ayako and I saying that." Miyagi said as he and Ayako approached them.

"Miyagi-san—" she whispered.

Ayako approached her and looked at Miyuki's lonely eyes.

"I'm at ease with you, Miyuki. And I would be very happy to be your friend. Just remember, what happened in that classroom, doesn't change the way Ryota and I think about you, okay?" Ayako said as she hugged Miyuki.

Miyuki rested her head in Ayako's shoulder and whispered, "Arigato, Ayako-chan"

Ryota smiled as she looked at Miyuki. She was happy, he could see it in her eyes. During lunchtime, the nurse advised Miyuki to go home and get some rest. She needed someone to accompany her home, but no one else can pick her up. The nurse then asked Mitsui to take Miyuki home since seniors are allowed to leave the school campus with excuse note.

"I'll drop by later at you house, okay?" Ayako said.

Miyuki nodded as she walked away with Mitsui carrying her bag.

_Miyuki never told us anything special about her.. _Miyagi thought and recalled the first time he met her. It has been one month already. At least there are changes in her than nothing at all. Ayako and Miyagi then went back to their classroom.

Meanwhile, Mitsui and Miyuki were walking slowly. Both were silent. Mitsui should accompany Miyuki to her house. They were almost halfway to Miyuki's house, but no one spoke. Mitsui looked at Miyuki, who was walking with her head down.

"You know, you'd look a lot better if you smile once in a while." Mitsui said looking at Miyuki.

"Arigato sempai, but I think happiness is not seen in a person's smile. One can fake one's smile, but the eyes can not deny." Miyuki replied as she looked at Mitsui. Mitsui turned red and looked away..

When they reached Miyuki's house, Miyuki stepped on the front porch. Mitsui stood at the pathway as Miyuki opened the door.

"Please, come inside and have tea with me." Miyuki invited. "It is a thank you for keeping me company."

"I'd love to, but my consent is limited." Mitsui replied as he held a piece of paper in his hand.

"Well, first promise me you'll have tea here some other time." Miyuki said, with enthusiasm present in her eyes.

"Okay, If you say so. Take care of yourself then. Ja ne!" Mitsui said as he walked away.

Miyuki gazed at him for a while, then she called out his name. Mitsui stopped and approached her quickly.

"Something wrong?" Mitsui asked.

"Uhm, Nothing," Miyuki replied as she lowered her head and looked away. "You know, you were the first person to hug me since I was a kid." She added.

Mitsui was surprised. But he smiled and said, "I'm glad I am." He then walked away as Miyuki closed the door behind her. She then went upstairs and rested for a while. Meanwhile, Mitsui was walking back to school. He kept thinking about Miyuki. Thoughts of her keep on entering his mind. Why did he even say that he was glad that he hugged Miyuki?

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ _Good thing she didn't branded me as a pervert.. Oh well, What I did is just to keep her from running off again. _Mitsui thought. He went back to Shohoku High and surrendered his excuse slip. He went to his locker to get his things for his next class. He looked at the locker beside him, Miyuki's locker.

_I guess I'll not be seeing her for the rest of the day._ Mitsui thought as he closed his locker with a banging noise. He walked to his classroom. Then, he suddenly stopped and began to think.

_Darn! I'm even concerned of seeing her. This is bad._ He thought. He shrugged off the idea for a moment and entered his classroom. It was chaos and mayhem, because the teacher is absent for the day. Mitsui pulled his chair and watched his classmates as they act like escaped prisoners. He was not interested in being one of the "noisemakers" for today. Aruka Ichikawa, one of his annoying classmates approached him and hit his desk. Mitsui was surprised, but he didn't show it.

"What do you want?" He asked in a loud voice.

"Mitsui, you're pretty quiet today aren't you?" Ichikawa asked with sarcasm and chuckled.

"Back off! Go annoy someone else." Mitsui said as he clenched his fist.

"Not until you answer a few questions of mine. That chick with you during lunchtime, she's pretty cute! Want to introduce her to us?" he asked, smiling an eerie smile.

Mitsui's eyes darted at the guy. It seems he already saw Miyuki and he had a bad feeling that she isn't safe alone anymore.

"What's with your look? Aww, is the great Hisashi Mitsui scared that we might hurt her girlfriend?" Ichikawa asked as he snickered.

Mitsui had enough. He quickly stood up and grabbed the guy by his collar and pushed him to the wall.

"If you even try to hurt Miyuki I swear I'll make you regret it!!" he snapped as he threw him aside and made him hit the desks. "Go annoy someone else, idiot!" Mitsui called over his shoulder as he walked out of the classroom.

_Great! I just slammed a guy because of Miyuki! What a way to go! _Mitsui thought. He went upstairs to the rooftop and stayed there until classes are over.

Meanwhile, when the bell rang, Ayako and Miyagi met up at the gym. Akagi has called for a meeting regarding the first game of Shohoku high for that year. When they entered the gym, they saw Mitsui practicing some free throw shots.

"Mitsui-sempai! You're here early.. Where's Akagi-sempai?" Ayako asked.

"He may be on his way, Ayako." Mitsui replied as he approached Miyagi and Ayako.

"From your looks, I can say you've been here for quite a while now." Miyagi said as he looked at Mitsui.

Mitsui shook his head and smiled. Ayako left the boys for a moment so she can get her stuff. Miyagi and Mitsui sat at a bench as Mitsui rested for a while.

"So, how's Miyuki?" Miyagi asked.

"She's pretty fine now. She even invited me for tea." Mitsui replied as he smiled. The two were silent for a while. Mitsui broke the silence and asked Miyagi. "What do you think about Miyuki?"

"Well, she is nice. However she's not really what you can consider a happy person. She is REALLY expressionless. Kind of reminds me of one of the freshmen, Kaede Rukawa. Why ask?" Miyagi replied.

"Nothing special." Mitsui replied and changed the topic.

Akagi and the rest of the team came in with Coach Anzai. They began to talk about their strategy for their first game is next month. Everyone needs to dedicate time for practice. Mitsui was totally blank during the meeting. He was preoccupied with something else. When the meeting finished, Miyagi and Ayako walked towards Miyuki's house. On the way, they happened to see Mitsui who was on his way to a grocery store.

"Sempai! Were going to Miyuki's house. Want to come?" Ayako invited.

Mitsui shook his head. "Thank you, but I have something to do at home. Take Care." Mitsui said. The two went on their way as Mitsui went home. When the two reached Miyuki's house. Miyagi decided to go home because he is really starving.

"Gomen, Ayako-chan" Miyagi apologized.

Ayako nodded as Miyagi entered the front door of his house. Ayako took a deep breath and knocked at Miyuki's door. After a few minutes, Miyuki opened the door.

"Konbawa, Ayako-chan!" Miyuki greeted as she invited Ayako inside.

"I made dinner for the two of us, so please don't decline." Miyuki said as she fetched the food.

"No, not at all." Ayako replied as she helped Miyuki set the table.

The two ate dinner as they talked. _So, Miyuki is not only a genius, but a good cook as well. _Ayako thought.

"How do you like dinner?" Miyuki asked. Ayako gave her a thumbs-up.

"Where's Miyagi-san? I made dinner for three." Miyuki asked.

"He went home to eat dinner." Ayako replied. She then saw a disappointing look in Miyuki's eyes.

"Don't worry, girl. He can have dinner here everyday! He's just next door." Ayako comforted.

Miyuki quickly changed the topic. "Hey, you want to go check out my room?" Miyuki asked. She pulled Ayako upstairs and opened her room. Much to Ayako's surprise, there is a large poster of a basketball player hanged up in her room, aside from the stacks of books beside her bed. Miyuki opened the window of her room.

"We can talk through Miyagi-san here." Miyuki said as she pointed to a window next door.

"Really?" Ayako said as she approached the door. "Oh, but the lights' out. Maybe he's still eating dinner." Ayako added. Miyuki nodded and pulled two chairs near the window.

"So, you like basketball too, Miyuki?" Ayako asked as she looked at the poster.

"Yeah, but not a lot of people know about it." Miyuki replied as she fixed her books.

"Did you know that Ryota is a player?" Ayako asked.

Miyuki nodded. "I really want to watch him play, without no one noticing me." She said.

"Well, why don't you hang out after school? Practice starts tomorrow. What do you say?" Ayako asked.

Miyuki nodded and looked outside the window. Light flooded Ryota's room.

"That must be him!" Miyuki said as she tugged Ayako lightly.

It was really him. Ayako called him in a loud voice. "Ryota!" She then threw something at the window.

Miyagi looked at the window and opened it.

"Ayako-chan! You're still there!" Miyagi exclaimed when he saw Ayako and Miyuki at the window.

"Yeah, yeah!" Ayako shrugged.

"So, Miyuki are you going to school tomorrow?" Miyagi asked.

"After all the things I did to our teacher, am I not kicked out yet?" Miyuki replied.

"Hey girl, it's not everyday that a genius transfers to Shohoku High." Ayako said as she smiled.

"Ayako-chan's right Miyuki. Better go to school tomorrow. Even if that means waking up early to walk with you." Miyagi said as he winked. Miyuki bowed her head as Ayako laughed.

The three talked and talked for hours. Finally, Ayako decided to head home.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Miyuki-chan!" Ayako said as she bid goodbye.

Miyuki then curled up under the covers and tried to get some sleep, But her mind is preoccupied with something. More accurately, someone else. _That curly-haired guy is really a silly guy, _she thought.

**So, what can you say about this chapter? Please review this so that I can know your insights. Thanks so much!! I hope you like this one. hehe.. Take care.. review please.. D Arigato gozaimas, maraming salamat, thank you!!! **


	3. Chapter 3: New Things

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk, its characters and story line.. I only own my OC Miyuki Kanazumi.. hehe.. **

**_Thanks for those who reviewed Chapter 2: ironduke, sawsaw, autumnchloe, heart, and the great MEITSI WONG!!! ehehehe..._**

**replies: /iron duke- just read the story,, hehe.. and Miyuki also have her flaws..it's in faint detail. She's not a happy person atall, others will be revealed in the next chapter.. thanks!!don't worry, /autumnchloe- thanks for reading my fanfic, TC!,/ heart- I already modified chap 1.. there was an error somewhere.. thankz!, sawsaw- thanks! /meitsi-you're pretty good to, kawaii.. **

**Chapter 3**

The next day, Miyuki went to school early. Much to her surprise, everything went smoothly. The teachers were still careful about their lesson, but they don't want Miyuki to notice it. It is like nothing ever happened the day before. She was quiet in her seat, sketching someone on the back of her Math notebook. She was sketching Miyagi, who was daydreaming outside the window. Ayako was too busy listening to the teacher that she kept silent for a while.

_Why am I sketching that Miyagi character? And why am I thinking about him so much?! This is too weird. He's occupying some precious space in my brain, and I don't like it one bit!! _Miyuki thought as she glanced at Ryota again. She finished her last touch in the sketch and brushed off the bits of lead on the paper. She looked again at Ryota who just woke up from his daydream.

_Kawaii.._ she thought. A few moments later, she hit her head lightly with her pencil.

_Stupid! Now you're thinking he's cute. There are more important things for you to observe, silly!!!_ She thought.

When the bell rang, everyone was very eager to leave the classroom and go home.

"Whoa! Everyone before you leave please take note of my assignment." The teacher said as he scribbled the assignment on the blackboard. Everyone groaned in despair and copied the assignment. Then, the teacher dismissed them. Ayako stretched her arms as if she hadn't moved in ages.

"Miyu-chan, let's go.." Ayako said as she tugged Miyuki's sleeve.

"You go on ahead with Miyagi-san, I have to get something in the locker first. " Miyuki replied as she stood up. Ayako nodded as she went out of the classroom as Miyagi followed her outside. Miyuki got her things under the desk and made her way to her locker. She placed her books on the floor and opened her locker. But it seems she's having trouble with the lock. _Darn! _She thought.

A student stood beside her and picked up her books on the floor. But she was too busy to notice. When she finally managed to open it, she noticed her books are nowhere. _What the— I was sure I left it here!_ She thought as she looked for it.

"Hey there! Looking for these?" a voice said from behind her. When she looked back, it was Mitsui holding her books in his right hand.

"Oh, there it is! I thought someone is playing a prank on me." Miyuki sighed in relief as Mitsui handed her books. She fixed it inside her locker and closed it. "Arigato sempai!" she said as she bowed slightly. Mitsui smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be going now, sempai. See you later at practice!" Miyuki said as she walked away.

"Wait a minute.. what—" Mitsui said as she turned to ask Miyuki but she is already far ahead.

_What does she mean by that?_ Mitsui thought as he took a shortcut to the gym.

When he got there, no one was there. _I must be early. I'll just keep myself busy for a while. _Mitsui thought as he took out a ball from the cabinet.

He changed his clothes first before practicing some free throw shots. Meanwhile, Miyuki took the longest route possible to the gym. She enjoyed walking in the hallways especially after dismissal when there are not much people around. When she entered the gym, she can hear the sound of a ball in play.

_Wait a sec. Aya-chan said practice starts at 4. It's only 3:30._ She thought.

Someone was inside. _Miyagi-kun?_ She thought as she peeked in. She saw Mitsui shooting almost all of the balls in the basket. He was already sweaty as he wiped it away with a towel that hanged at this neck. He sat on the floor for a while to catch his breath.

"Mitsui-sempai!" Miyuki called out. Mitsui looked around and saw Miyuki standing near the entrance. He looked surprised but he tried to hide it as much as possible.

"Hey Miyuki! What brings you here?" Mitsui said as he stood up.

"No, please just sit there!" Miyuki said as she walked towards Mitsui and seated beside him.

"Say, How long have you been here?" Miyuki asked as she took a ball that was rolling towards her.

"I just got here. What brings you here?" Mitsui said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Miyuki took a handkerchief out of her bag and handed it to Mitsui.

"Whoa—Uhm, Arigato gozaimas." Mitsui said as he took the handkerchief from Miyuki and looked away.

"Aya-chan invited me to watch your practice game. And I'm really interested to watch you guys play. " Miyuki replied as she looked up the ring in front of them.

"Wait a sec, you mean to say you like basketball?" Mitsui said as he looked at her.

"Well, kind of. I just know the terms and sometimes I watch games. Am I not so obvious?" Miyuki replied.

"Wow, who would have thought." Mitsui said as he smiled. Miyuki stood up as she dribbled the ball, then passed in to Mitsui. "Although, I really don't know how to play." She added.

"Want to know how?" Mitsui asked as he dribbled the ball and aimed at the basket, and scored.

"You're a 3-point shooter aren't you?" Miyuki asked.

"Well, kind of like that.." Mitsui replied as he passed the ball to Miyuki. "Try shooting it."

Miyuki was surprised. "What? But I really—"

"Just try it. Dribble then shoot. Just trust the ball." Mitsui replied as he motioned behind Miyuki.

"Oh well, here goes nothing." Miyuki said as she dribbled and tried to shoot. But the ball didn't even touch the ring.

"Air ball. I should have known. I told you I couldn't do it." Miyuki replied as she picked up the ball.

"Try again. This time I want you to concentrate for the ball to shoot at the ring." Mitsui said as he stood next to Miyuki. She then tried again and scored a basket, barely missing the ring. Miyuki's eyes widened as she stared at the ring.

"You did it!" Mitsui said happily as he ran to get the ball. "I told you so!" Mitsui added. He ran back in front of Miyuki and handed her the ball. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the room.

"Micchy boy!" When they looked around the two saw Sakuragi, Ryota and Ayako at the entrance.

Miyuki walked towards the three as Mitsui ran. Akagi, Coach Anzai, Kogure, Rukawa and the freshmen also entered the gym.

"Okay guys, positions!" Akagi called as he clapped his hands.

"Need to go. Ja ne!" Mitsui called back to Miyuki as he jogged to his place. Miyuki sat beside Ayako on a bench. Akagi discussed something about the practice sessions and their first routine exercises. When Akagi paused to talk with Coach Anzai, Sakuragi tugged Mitsui's clothes lightly.

"Micchy boy, you're teaching your girlfriend how to play?" Sakuragi asked as he laughed his trademark laugh.

"Idiot!!" Mitsui replied as he whacked Sakuragi on the head.

"I'm not going to say anything she doesn't like if I were you. She's a good friend of Aya-chan. So if you want to survive Aya-chan's violent fan, keep quiet!" Miyagi said as everyone agreed.

"Quiet all of you!" Akagi interrupted and looked at Ayako and Miyuki. He then continued his pointers.

"That Sakuragi guy, he's really a silly guy!" Kogure said as he fixed his glasses. He then looked at where Ayako and the girl is, hoping to see Mitsui's "girlfriend" When he saw the girl, his eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was mistaken. But he was not.

"Miyu-chan? What in the world is she doing here?" Kogure asked himself. He stood up and walked towards the two girls. Ayako greeted him as he smiled. When Miyuki looked up to him, her eyes widened too.

"Miyuki Kanazumi, it's been a while already." Kogure said as he smiled at Miyuki.

"Kiminobu-kun, since when did you transfer here?" Miyuki asked. She still looked surprised.

"Wait a sec, you guys know each other?" Ayako interrupted.

"Yes.. Kiminobu-kun is a good friend of… a relative of mine." Miyuki said.

"So, I can see you still don't speak of your brother." Kogure said.

"He doesn't speak of me, anyway. Kiminobu-kun" Miyuki said as she bowed down her head. Kogure shook his head and patted him on her shoulders.

"That's just what you think." Kogure said as he went back to the players. Miyuki looked at him and sighed. _Kiminobu-kun hadn't changed a bit too. He's still a nice guy… like my brother._ She thought. Ayako changed the topic for a while. She can see Miyuki doesn't want to talk about what just happened a while ago.

Meanwhile, Mitsui looked at Kogure._ Kogure knew Miyu-chan already? Are they close or something?_ Mitsui thought. Akagi then led the jog around the gym to start their exercise. They also practiced some shots and passing. They finished after sunset. Akagi then dismissed the team and told them to get some rest.

"I'm not going home right away Aya-chan. I have to do the groceries." Miyuki said.

"I'll come with Miyuki Don't worry Aya-chan. I'll bring her back safely!" Miyagi added like he's some kind of hero or something.

"Well, okay then. Take care!" Ayako said as she waved goodbye and walked home. Miyagi and Miyuki walked to the nearest grocery store and got the things Miyuki needed. Then, they talked as they walked home.

"Hey, how did you know Kogure-sempai?" Miyagi asked.

"He's a friend of my relative back then. He used to hang out at our house most of the time, so I guess we got along fine." Miyuki narrated

"Well, it's no surprise. You guys are both smart." Miyagi said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Birds of the same feather flock together."

"Miyagi-san, how did you learn to play basketball?" Miyuki asked. Miyagi looked at her with no surprise present. He just smiled and took a deep breath.

"Well, I don't exactly how. It just developed in me, I guess. Or was that because of Aya-chan? I can see you're interested in learning to play basketball!" Miyagi said with enthusiasm.

"Well, Mitsui-sempai taught me basic free throw shooting back then. And, it's nice playing it." Miyuki said.

"There's a court in our backyard. Have you seen it? I can teach you how. Aya-chan can teach you too." Miyagi invited. He can see that Miyuki is interested.

"Tomorrow then. It's a Saturday so there'll be no problem!" Miyagi said.

"Arigato Miyagi-san" Miyuki said as she looked at him. When they reached their homes, the two separated ways. Miyagi had a quick dinner and shower before plopping on the bed and falling asleep immediately. Meanwhile, Miyuki opened the window of her room. She saw that the lights are off in Miyagi's room.

_Miyagi-kun must be asleep now. _She thought.

The light wind blew against her face, but she was still in deep thought.

_Kiminobu-kun. I didn't know he studied in Shohoku High. _

Kogure and her brother became classmates back in Junior High. Kaname was older than he is, but because Kaname repeated once because of his habitual absences back then, the two met each other. When Kaname took an I.Q test, he had an I.Q of 180. He was then accelerated to high school, leaving Kogure back in Junior High.

_But even so, they still remain friends. Their bond is really deep._ Miyuki thought.

_My brother had always been so good to other people.. Others except me.. _She thought.

She then closed her window and got something downstairs. She opened one of the drawers in the living room and took out a small silver picture frame. Her mother gave it to her when she was 7 years old. The frame is made of pure silver with diamonds at the edges. It was a family heirloom, which was passed to the eldest daughter. And since she is the only girl, her mother handed it to her. There was no picture inside so she decided to look for a picture that would be perfect for the frame. She found a picture hidden behind one of the albums. It was a pretty nice photo of her family. She was sitting on the swing, her brother leaning beside her and her mother behind them.

_Things were so nice back then._ She thought as she placed the picture inside the frame. She then went upstairs and placed the frame on her bedside table. She turned off her lampshade and cuddled herself to sleep.

Next morning, Miyuki woke up early and decided to fix her room. Books were scattered everywhere, and her sketchpad was left on the floor. Then, a faint sound of glass was heard. _Did I step on something?_ She wondered as she looked at her feet. She realized it was not from her room. It was coming from her window. Someone was throwing something at the window. She peeked at the curtains to see. She then saw Miyagi on his window. She made a face and opened the window of her room.

"Ohayou there, neighbor!" Miyagi called when he saw Miyuki. "I can see you just woke up!" he added with a grin on his face.

"Nope, I'm already awake Miyagi-san" she replied.

"So, are you ready for today? Aya-chan will be joining us." Miyagi said with enthusiasm. Miyuki knew what he meant. She just nodded and lowered her head.

"I'll be having breakfast, Miyagi-san. I'll be seeing you later." Miyuki said as she motioned to close the window..

"Wait!!!!!" Miyagi called out. Miyuki looked at him as she placed her hand on the windowsill.

"Come have breakfast with us. My mom really wants to meet you." Miyagi said. Seeing the hesitated look on Miyuki's face, he added, "It's a sorry for last time.."

"Well, okay.. I'll just fix myself.. see you later" Miyuki said as she closed the window.

She then took a quick shower and looked for something to wear in her closet. She then saw her favorite yellow blouse and shorts. She let her long hair dry for a while before going to Miyagi's house. She then walked toward Miyagi's doorstep and hesitated to ring the doorbell. Suddenly the door opened, Miyagi surprised her with a smile.

"I saw you from the window. You were hesitating to ring the doorbell so I opened the door." Miyagi said as he smiled.

"Come on in. My mom's waiting." Miyagi added as he led the way to their kitchen.

Miyuki saw a petite lady by the cooking stove. When Miyagi called her, she turned around and smiled sweetly.

"Hey, this is my mom here." Miyagi said as he took a seat on one of the chairs.

"Ohayou gozaimas! Thank you for inviting me here." Miyuki said as she bowed lightly.

"Oh, you're such a sweet girl. Now get seated and I'll serve breakfast."

Miyagi's mom said as she pulled a chair for Miyuki. The three ate breakfast as they talked. _Miyagi-kun's mother is really sweet. She reminds me of my mom in Tokyo. _Miyuki thought. When they finished breakfast, Miyuki and Miyagi decided to head to the court.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal." Miyuki said bowing slightly.

"No problem. Come again anytime!' Miyagi's mother said as she smiled. The two walked together to the court. Miyagi took out a bunch of balls from the shack. He passed it to Miyuki as Miyuki caught it.

"Hey, you're pretty good in catching!" Miyagi said as he smiled.

Shortly, Ayako emerged from the fence and ran towards Miyuki.

"Hey guys, am I late?" Ayako greeted as she looked at Miyagi.

"Nope, we were just starting Aya-chan" Miyuki replied. The two then started teaching Miyuki the basics. She coped up easily as if she doesn't need any explanations at all. Miyagi and Miyuki decided to have a one-on-one match.

"You can do it, Miyuki!!" Ayako cheered. Miyuki had the ball and was aiming for a shoot. But Miyagi is pretty quick and was doing great in blocking her. She finally tricked him as she ran near the ring but Miyagi stole the ball and scored. Ayako clapped as the game is over.

"Hey girl, that's okay. I mean, you are new at this." Ayako said as she patted Miyuki's shoulder.

"Hey, even so you're pretty good already, nice!" Miyagi said as he approached Miyagi.

"Hey, I owe it to you, Miyagi-san!" Miyuki replied as she wiped the sweat off with her towel. The three rested for a while as Miyuki held a ball in her hands.

"You can be just like Ryota if you practice harder." Ayako said as she looked at Miyuki.

"I don't plan on playing for a tournament. I just want to learn how to play. And besides, I don't have that much stamina to play on a tournament. I'm not that athletic." Miyuki said as she sighed.

"Well, at least you learned." Miyagi said as she patted her on the back. The three then decided to rest in their own homes after their long hours of playing basketball.

"Come over to my house. I'll be making lunch." Miyuki invited. Ayako and Miyagi agreed as they walked towards Miyuki's front porch. Miyuki opened the door as she led them to the living room.

"Please wait here for a while. Make yourselves at home." Miyuki said as she disappeared from the room to cook lunch.

"Wow, her house is really spacious! I can't believe she lives all alone here." Miyagi said as he scanned the house.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Kind of reminds me of Mitsui-sempai's house." Ayako replied. She then noticed an open photo album in one of the chairs. She reached out to get it and opened it to the first page. It was a big photo of Miyuki on a awing with a boy and a lady.

"That must be her mom and the boy must be Kaname." Ayako said as she pointed at the picture.

"Wait a sec, how can you tell the name of the guy?" Miyagi asked.

"Kaname, is Miyuki's brother and a good friend of Kogure-sempai. Remember the day Kogure-sempai talked to Miyuki?" Ayako said as she flipped the pages.

"Oh, so that's why." Miyagi said as he looked at the picture. She then saw another picture of Miyuki and her brother.

"I know you'll ask me about my brother someday." Miyuki asked as she looked at Ayako. Ayako and Miyagi were startled.

"Oh, I'm sorry I looked at your album." Ayako said as she put away the album.

"No, it's alright, Aya-chan. I was planning to tell you. I'm just waiting for you to ask." Miyuki said as she put away the album

"Let's have lunch now. Everything's ready!" Miyuki said as she walked into the kitchen. Ayako and Miyagi followed her. They ate and talked together about some matters.

"Wow! That was one delicious meal!" Miyagi said as he smiled.

"Arigato Miyagi-san." Miyuki said as she fixed the dishes as Ayako helped her.

After the meal, Ayako decided to go home and clean their house. And so did Miyagi.

"Come back again!" Miyuki said as she waved goodbye. She closed the door behind her and looked at the other photo albums. _I'm glad Aya-chan understands me._ Miyuki thought. Ayako knew Miyuki wanted to avoid the topic so she never asked. She is so good to Miyuki since day one, and so is Miyagi. She is going to tell them, when she feel like it.

**Okay!! review time people.. hehe.. hope you like this chapter everyone... By the way, I'm very sorry that I made the name Kaname a boy's name.. It's Chidori's name in Full Metal Panic too.. I forgot.. hehe.. peace everyone**


	4. Chapter 4: I Can't Leave You Behind

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Slam Dunk.. Sorry…. I just wish I did….

_**Thanks for all those who reviewed my very boring chapter 3.. heheh.. I have to admit, I don't like my chapter 3 too… heheh… **_

_**Ironduke yes, I know the chapter is slow… I think the same way too…, **__**Autumnchloe thanks for reading chapter 3.. hope you like this chapter… It's my personal favorite…, **__**Reiko yeah, I'll tone down with my character… **_

**Chapter 4: I Can't Leave You Behind**

It was a typical Monday morning in Shohoku High. Miyuki woke up earlier than usual and decided to head to school early. Before leaving, she opened her bedroom window to see if Miyagi is already awake.

_That speedy kid sure is a sleepyhead. _Miyuki thought as she closed the window and walked outside towards Shohoku High. The wind was cold and it seems like it's going to rain very soon.

_Great! I forgot my umbrella. Oh well, too late to go back now._ Miyuki thought as she picked up her pace. She entered the gate as she made her way to the gym. _At least it's much warmer there._ She thought.

"Hey! Wait a sec!" a voice was heard from behind her. When she looked behind. It was Mitsui, carrying his bag. He jogged towards her and smiled.

"Ohayou sempai." Miyuki greeted.

"Ohayou! You're pretty early today. Did you walk with Miyagi?" Mitsui said as he flung his bag on his back.

Miyuki shook her head. "I woke up earlier so I decided to head off early. I'm going to the gym."

"Can I hang out with you?" Mitsui said

"Sure, you can come, sempai." Miyuki nodded. They walked together to the gym. Meanwhile, a guy spotted Miyuki and Mitsui together. He hid among the lockers and took a closer look at Miyuki.

_That must be the girl Ichikawa is talking about._ The guy thought. He ran towards a group of guys, who were loitering in the halls.

"I saw the girl Ichikawa was talking about. We can't do anything right now 'coz Mitsui is with her. We'll get her later when she's alone." The guy said to the others. "She's pretty cute, Ichikawa said we can do anything to her. This looks like fun!" he added.

Meanwhile, Mitsui and Miyuki entered the gym. They stayed there and waited for classes to start. Miyuki picked up a ball beside her and passed it to Mitsui.

"Miyagi-san and Ayako-chan taught me basketball yesterday." Miyuki said as she lowered her head.

"Really, that's great!" Mitsui said as he smiled. However, he felt uneasy. _Miyagi is spending much time with Miyuki lately. Oh well, they're neighbors, what can I expect? _He thought.

No matter how much Mitsui denies it, he was pretty jealous of Miyagi. _I'm so stupid thinking such nonsense!_ He thought. He doesn't want to have another trouble with Miyagi now that they're actually get along well. He looked at Miyuki who was combing her hair and tying it in twin pigtails.

"You look better when you tie your hair like that." Mitsui said.

"Arigato sempai." Miyuki said as she looked down.

_Now why did I just say that! Idiot!_ Mitsui thought, as he turned red. When the bell rang, the two decided to head to their classrooms. Mitsui walked Miyuki to her classroom.

"So, I guess I'll be seeing you around. Ja ne!" Mitsui said. Miyuki nodded as she went inside her classroom.

Meanwhile, Mitsui entered their classroom. He took a seat and opened one of his notebooks. Ichikawa approached him with a weird grin on his face. He leaned down and whispered to Mitsui. "If I were you Mitsui, I'll make sure your Miyuki is not alone. Who knows what might happen sooner or later."

Mitsui glared at Ichikawa as he went back to his seat. _What the hell did he mean by that! Damn!He may be after Miyuki! _Mitsui thought.

For the rest of the day, Mitsui is preoccupied with so many thoughts. When classes are over, Mitsui headed to the gym. He saw the other players in formation.

"Mitsui, you're late. What happened?" Akagi asked as Mitsui went to his position.

"I got a headache, but I'm fine now. Gomen!" Mitsui answered as he walked to his position.

Miyagi looked at him wondering about his strange behavior._ What's up with Mitsui?_ He thought.

Akagi talked to Coach Anzai for a moment. Mitsui looked around for Ayako and Miyuki. But he only saw Ayako who was busy writing something on a notebook.

_Damn! Don't tell me she went home alone! _He thought.

Miyuki entered the gym and approached Ayako. She still has her bag and sat in a bench. Mitsui took a deep breath of relief.

_She looks okay. Maybe that stupid Ichikawa is just mocking me! _He thought.

When their practice is over, Akagi gave some last minute pointers before dismissing them. As he talked, Mitsui glanced at Miyuki. She was already leaving. He can tell as she waved at Ayako and walked outside. _No way! Oh well, maybe I'm just being paranoid._ Mitsui thought. He went back to listening to Akagi.

Miyuki walked all alone in the hallway. She told Ayako that she's doing the groceries for today so she needed to go early. She placed her books on her locker and left the school grounds. She passed by the park to a nearby grocery store and looked for the things that she needed. She then noticed three guys following her around. It annoyed her so she tried to give them the slip and entered a phone booth and pretended to make a call. _Damn! What do these guys want from me? _She thought.

Meanwhile, after Akagi dismissed the players, Mitsui approached Ayako who was packing her things on a bench.

"Ayako-chan, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mitsui asked.

"Sure thing, sempai. What is it?" Ayako replied as she closed her bag.

"Did Miyuki tell you where she's going this afternoon?" Mitsui asked as he wiped his sweat with his towel.

"Yeah, she said she needed to do the groceries so she can't stay too long." Ayako replied.

"Uhm, Did she mention anything to you about something, err.. weird stuff or something?" Mitsui asked as he stammered a little.

"Well, she did tell me something weird back at lunchtime. She said that she's been getting this eerie feeling that someone's watching her. We also noticed a bunch of guys who is strangely eyeing her all the time." Ayako said with a concerned look on her face.

"Damn! Where did she say she was going?" Mitsui asked again.

"She's by the grocery store near the park? Is there something—" Ayako said but Mitsui interrupted her.

"Gomen Ayako-chan! I need to see if she's okay!" Mitsui called back as he ran outside the gym.

Miyagi approached Ayako and gave her a worried look. "Something's not right here. We better follow him." Miyagi said as Ayako nodded. They followed Mitsui who was running as fast as he can.

When the coast is clear, Miyuki went out of the phone booth. The guys must have given up on her. She then noticed a boy who is eating an ice cream. She leaned down and asked the boy for a favor. After their conversation, the boy ran away. Then, her cell phone rang. She looked at the name that is flashing on the screen. _Mitsui-sempai_. She quickly answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Miyuki! Where are you? Are you okay?" Mitsui said in a worried tone.

"I'm at the phone booth near the grocery store. I'm fine. Why ask?" she answered sheepishly.

"I know you're not! Listen, I want you to stay in a crowded area near the store okay, wait for me." Mitsui said. Then, boisterous laughter was heard on the other line. He heard the phone drop to the ground as he heard Miyuki struggling from someone. Then, the line was disconnected.

"Damn! Where is she?" Mitsui said as she picked up his pace. He found the phone booth but Miyuki was not around. He saw Miyuki's phone lying on the ground, which caused him to worry more.

"Anou.. oni-sama, do you know the girl who was here a minute ago?" a boy asked him. Mitsui lowered himself as he talked to the boy.

"Is there a girl that was here a minute ago?" Mitsui asked.

The boy nodded and looked around. "She left her cell phone there on purpose to make sure." The boy replied.

Mitsui looked at Miyuki's phone. She displayed an unsent message. _Ask the boy where they took me._

"Where did the guys take her?" Mitsui asked patiently.

"I saw them take her by that alley over there." The boy said as he pointed to a nearby alley.

"Thanks, kiddo!" Mitsui said as he patted him on the head and ran as fast as he can.

"No one saw what we did." The guy said as he peeked outside. He then faced Miyuki who was trapped in two of the guys' grasp.

"What are you going to do to me?" Miyuki said with her cold, expressionless eyes darting at the guy. Miyuki irritated the guy. She ordered the two guys to let her go as he stepped aside. Miyuki tried to run away but they guy caught her hair as he pulled he back and pushed her on the wall.

"You're not going anywhere now!" The boss said as he looked at Miyuki sternly. Miyuki stared at the guy blankly. She looked calm and there was no sign of panic. But inside, Miyuki is desperately trying to find a way out. The guy was fed up. He grabbed Miyuki by the collar and strangled her with one hand. Miyuki led out a faint cry as she tried to breathe and struggled. Her feet can't reach the ground anymore.

_Anyone, please help me! Aya-chan—, Miyagi-kun! Sempai! Brother.. _she was running out of air as she is slowly passing away. Then, one of the guys shouted and ran towards their boss.

"Boss! Big trouble! It's Mitsui—" the guy was interrupted as someone pulled him and punched him on the face. It was Mitsui. He threw the guy aside and faced the boss, who held Miyuki by the neck.

"se.. sem.. pai—" Miyuki said trying to say something.

"Damn! Ichikawa did this isn't it?" Mitsui said as he punched the guy. The guy threw Miyuki aside, causing Miyuki's head to hit the wall and pass out immediately. Mitsui grew angrier as grabbed the guy and punched him so hard until he was out cold.

"Darn that Ichikawa! He's going to regret it!" Mitsui said as he clenched his fist.

He stood up and approached Miyuki. She didn't have any serious injury, except for the big cut on her forehead that was bleeding so much. Mitsui got a handkerchief that Miyuki gave to him the other day and kept it on Miyuki's wound. He carried her in his arms and ran towards his house, which were a few meters away. He laid her on the sofa and called Ayako.

"Yeah, she's okay. She's in my house now." Mitsui said as he tried to calm Ayako.

"Oh, thank goodness! Please take care of her we'll be coming over." Ayako said as she hung up.

Mitsui got the first aid kit and approached Miyuki. He carefully removed Miyuki's braids as she lifted her up slowly and bandaged her wound. He laid her again and sighed in relief.

_Good thing she's genius enough to think of a plan. I'm glad she's okay. _Mitsui thought as he stood up and got some water. When he came back, Miyuki is slowly opening her eyes.

"Mitsui-sempai?" Miyuki asked as she looked at Mitsui.

"Hey, I'm glad the beautiful genius is okay!" Mitsui said as he placed his hand on Miyuki's cheek. "You got me worried there."

"Arigato sempai." Miyuki said as she winced from the pain. "By the way, where am I?"

"You're in my house. Ayako said you should be staying here until you're fully recovered." Mitsui said as he looked into her eyes.

"Is it okay with your parents?" Miyuki asked.

"Nah, I live alone. My parents are abroad and I don't have any siblings so, here I am." Mitsui said as he smiled.

"Arigato sempai.." Miyuki whispered as she tried to keep awake.

"You should get some rest. Pleasant dreams." Mitsui said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. Mitsui left her in the room as he went downstairs. Miyuki followed him in her gaze.

_Ichikawa will pay for what he did. I swear I will._ Mitsui thought as she punched the wall so hard. _Wait.. did I just … kissed her .. on the forehead? And said, beautiful genius? Ack! What am I saying? _Mitsui said as he slumped on the couch and sighed.Then, the doorbell rang. _That must be Ayako._ He thought as he opened the door. But when he opened it, someone else was there

"Kogure?" Mitsui blurted out, with a surprised look on his face.

"Ayako told me Miyuki's in here. I just need to check her out." Kogure said as he smiled.

"Hey, how did you meet Miyuki? And how's she related to you?" Mitsui asked.

"A long story, but I'll be glad to narrate it." Kogure said. Mitsui led him inside and closed the door. They went upstairs and opened the guest room where Miyuki rested.

"She's resting right now." Mitsui said as he took 2 chairs and asked Kogure to sit down. The two were silent for a while.

"I know that you already figured out that Miyu-chan.. is a genius. But she was never physically strong, you know." Kogure said. Mitsui looked at him with a confused look.

"You see Mitsui, I have known her for a long time. Back in Junior High, I became friends with her brother Kaname. I used to hang out at their house. I saw her change slowly. She was not like that before. Miyuki is a very cheerful person, who possesses a very sweet smile. She loved her brother dearly, and so is with Kaname. Yes, she is a genius, but she is vulnerable. She often gets lost too. Kaname is always the one who protects her, he always knew what to do when Miyuki needs him." Kogure narrated as he fixed his glasses.

"But, what happened. It seems like, she lost the smile you've been talking about." Mitsui asked.

"It's something about what happened to her. After than, she hated the world more than anything. She was always blank and she realized she was never needed here after all. Everyone grew afraid of her, even Kaname. And it broke Miyuki's heart more. She became expressionless, and became a very cold person. I'm sure you're wondering why she never smiles." Kogure replied.

"But what's the reason?" Mitsui asked.

Kogure shook his head. "Let Miyuki narrate it to you. She'll tell when she feels at ease."

Mitsui was silent for a while.

"So, it's been about a month now since she moved here at Kanagawa. When I saw her at the gym, I called up Kaname and told him about it." Kogure added.

Flashback 

"_Yeah, I enrolled Miyuki in Shohoku High, I remembered you told me that you're studying there. Can you please do me a favor? Please look after my sister once in a while. Make sure she's alright." Kaname said._

"Kaname never hated Miyuki, maybe he was just afraid." Mitsui said as Kogure nodded. The vice captain decided to leave early. Mitsui accompanied him to the front door.

"Do me a favor too, Mitsui." Kogure said.

"Sure, anything." Mitsui said as he looked at the vice-captain.

"It seems you and Miyuki have been getting along fine, and so with Miyagi and Ayako. Could you please look after her once in a while? I trust that you can do it, now that it seems you're beginning to fall for her." Kogure said as he winked.

"Err.. uhm.. Megane-kun.. what in the world are you talking about?" Mitsui replied as he stammered and led out a nervous laugh.

Kogure laughed and patted him on the shoulders. "I have ways of knowing, Mitsui. Ja ne!"

Mitsui watched him as he walked casually out of his sight. He closed the door and leaned at it. He went upstairs and looked at Miyuki, who was sleeping peacefully. _Is Kogure right? Am I really falling for her? _He thought as he tried to think. He then fell asleep beside her bed.

_Miyuki's dream_

"_Onichan.. where are you going? Are you going to leave me all alone"? A little girl said.. Is that me? Miyuki asked herself.. The boy turned around and walked away.. "Wait! Please don't leave me…." But there was no one else but the girl. Where is everybody? Miyuki reached out to touch her, but the girl was just a mirage. She then saw Ryota. "Miyagi-san!" she called out. But Miyagi didn't hear her as she approached Ayako before approaching her. She felt sadness, even though Ryota and Ayako were with her. Ryota and Ayako were, together. She then saw a familiar figure. When the guy looked at her it was Mitsui…. "Sempai.. are you going to leave me too? Please don't leave me, I—_

Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was only a dream. She felt someone beside her. When she looked, it was Mitsui sleeping on a chair.

_Silly sempai! Is he not fond of beds? _Miyuki thought. Mitsui was stirred from his sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Miyuki who was looking at her.

"Hey there! I can see you're awake!" Mitsui said as he stretched his arms. "I must have fallen asleep." He added as he chuckled.

"You should use the bed for sleeping." Miyuki said. Mitsui smiled at her.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" Mitsui asked.

"Anything you want will do." Miyuki replied. He then picked up the phone and called a nearby restaurant. Miyuki looked at him, confused. Mitsui noticed her face after he had the short conversation.

"Yeah, I know you're wondering. You see, I don't know how to cook" Mitsui said with an embarrassed look on his face.

Miyuki's eyes widened. "How'd you survive, then?" she asked.

"Well, sometimes I eat outside or call for delivery. And sometimes I eat easy cook food. You know. Do you expect Hisashi Mitsui can cook?" Mitsui shrugged. The two became silent for a while.

"Kogure was here earlier, checking up on you." Mitsui said. Miyuki didn't look surprised. She looked at Mitsui with her lonely green eyes.

"Do you want to know.. why I'm like this, sempai?" Miyuki asked. Mitsui was surprised.

"If you're willing to tell me, I will." Mitsui said as he pulled the chair closer to the bed. Miyuki seated on the bed, with her back leaning on the headboard.

"It all started back when I was 10. Kiminobu-kun might have narrated the others to you earlier. You see, my brother and me grew up without a dad. My dad is a genetic engineer, so he's busy most of the time. My mom, even though she had a lot of work, she still took care of us personally. My dad became more and more dedicated to his work that he grew insane. I then realized…. I was nothing more but a mere experiment for him. He used me for his gene manipulation experiment. He never loved me at all."

Miyuki sighed and continued, " And to make things worse, back then, I had a best friend, her name is Mayumi. She's like a sister to me. She was nice and she accepted me for who I really am. But…

_Flashback_

"_Don't worry about your dad, Miyu-chan" Mayumi said as she hugged Miyuki who was crying in her arms. _

"_I'll always be by your side." Mayumi added. Miyuki looked at her with her tearful eyes and smiled. "Arigato, Mayumi-chan." She whispered. _

_Mayumi walked her to the bus stop. It was a stormy night. It seems almost impossible to see anything but the drops of rain that fell down from the sky. Miyuki stood at the sidewalk and watched her friend cross the street. Then, out of nowhere, a speeding ran Mayumi over. Miyuki was so shocked that she cannot move at all. She saw the driver get off the car, but he went back in and drove the car as fast as he can, leaving Mayumi on the road, bleeding to death. Miyuki approached her as she looked at her friend who was all drenched in blood. Mayumi smiled at her and reached out to touch her face._

"_Please take care of yourself, thanks for being a friend.. Miyu-chan" Mayumi said as she slowly closed her eyes and died._

"I know that all of us will die someday. But is it that rational for someone to die at such a young age? Mayumi-chan didn't do anything wrong! She's the kindest person I know, but why does she have to die like that? After that, I was so depressed. I grew silent and didn't talk to anyone again, even my mom and my brother. I started to read.. I tried to learn things that were beyond my capacity. It is a way to keep my mind off what happened to me. It seems like I was forsaken. But, I grew cold towards everyone. Everyone left me, my mother abandoned me and so did my brother." She narrated.

Tears were present in her eyes, but she wiped it away. She tried her best not to cry. Mitsui felt sorry for her. She wanted to tell her what Kogure told him earlier, but he can't. She might not believe him.

"There's nothing wrong in letting your feelings out. I remember someone told me.. that tears is not a sign of weakness, but rather it is a sign of strength. I couldn't get the idea at first, but I think it's right." Mitsui said.

Miyuki kept silent for a while. She stood up and embraced Mitsui. Mitsui was surprised. As much as he wanted to hug her too, he felt uneasy.

"Are you going to leave me too, sempai?" Miyuki asked. Mitsui looked at her as Miyuki's tears began to fall. He embraced her tight and whispered. "Don't worry, I won't be leaving you."

Their dinner came in. They talked until the wee hours of the morning before falling asleep.

Next morning, Ayako and Ryota visited the two. Ayako brought a cake, which she baked herself.

"Arigato Ayako-chan!" Miyuki said with eagerness in her voice.

"Hey, you sure are enthusiastic today, aren't you Miyu-chan?" Ayako said as she giggled. Mitsui and Ryota went outside for a while.

"I'm planning to make lunch for Mitsui-sempai. He's been so nice of him to save me and let me stay here at the same time." Miyuki replied as she took out everything she needs.

"And to think Mitsui-sempai doesn't use that cooking stuff. It must have been ages since he last used that!" Ayako said giving out a snicker.

When Ryota and Mitsui came home, Miyuki had just finished cooking lunch.

"Welcome back sempai! I hope you don't mind that I cooked lunch." Miyuki said as she bowed slightly.

"You did? Alright! This is going to be a great lunch!" Miyagi said excitedly. Ayako whacked Miyagi with her oh-so-sadistic fan.

"You act as if you haven't eaten in ages!" Ayako called out as she ran after Miyagi who was avoiding her fan.

"Arigato Miyuki, but you should rest first." Mitsui said with a concerned look.

"It's a thank you for letting me stay, sempai." Miyuki said. Mitsui had no choice. When they finished their meal, Miyagi laughed out loud.

"Miyuki sure cooks good!" Miyagi said as he shielded himself. He knew Ayako would whack him again with her fan. The four of them agreed to leave the dishes first. Ayako and Miyuki went upstairs to the guest room while Miyagi and Mitsui stayed downstairs and played video games. While playing, Miyagi wondered about Mitsui's always so concerned attitude towards Miyuki.

"Hey, Mitsui. Why are you acting so strange?" Miyagi asked as they were in the middle of the game.

"What on earth are you talking about? I'm fine." Mitsui said as he made another counter-attack.

"You act strange when Miyuki is around. And you're totally pissed off than Ayako and me when she was in trouble." Miyagi said as he made some attacks.

"It's nothing special." Mitsui said as he attacked too. _What's with Miyagi's questions?_ He thought.

Miyagi then recalled every single detail of the time when Mitsui acted strange while Miyuki is around.

"And I therefore conclude that: Admit it hotshot! You like Miyuki so much, don't you?" Miyagi said.

Mitsui's concentration was interrupted and was defeated by Miyagi. Miyagi howled and cheered.

"Add that one up, man! Another symptom that you like my neighbor!" Miyagi confronted.

Mitsui was really confused now. Kogure said the same thing. And he was already suspicious of his actions towards Miyuki too. Maybe Kogure and Miyagi are right.

"You're not the Mitsui I knew. I know you like her already. You're just scared to admit it." Miyagi said as he lied on the floor. "It's really ironic that girls can actually make guys like us change. I'm like you too, pal! Sure, I admitted to Aya-chan that I liked her, but it seems like nothing happened.. This is too weird." He added.

That night, Mitsui thought about what Miyagi said earlier. It was almost midnight. He kept dwelling about what he said. _Maybe I am falling for that girl. _He thought as he looked up in the ceiling and tried to get some sleep.

**Okay, review time minna-san! Hope you like this chapter! TC!**


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't know Slam Dunk... If I did, then I'd be the happiest person in the world.. Plus, if I did Miyagi will be mine! ahehehe... **

**_Thanks for those who reviewed... autumnchloe>sorry for the late update, the story got deleted in my files by accident... hehehe... hope you like this one, ironduke>hope you like this one.. it has something that I think you'll like... I dunno.. I just hope you like it_**

**Chapter 5**

A month has passed already since that day. He was so angry at the sight of Ichikawa that he was ready to beat him up with his bare hands, if Miyuki hadn't got in the way and dragged him away from Ichikawa as far as she can.

"Sempai, you'll get in trouble too if you do it. And besides, the principal already know about it so please calm down." Miyuki said.

Since then, he had been concentrating on their practice. Their first opponent for the season is Miuradai High School. They have been practicing for a month now. Their first game is tomorrow. Mitsui had been waiting for so long. But it seems like he's overdoing practice. He wanted to get his mind off the fact that he let Ichikawa get away with what he did. And he's pretty embarrassed to talk to Miyuki casually now that Kogure and Miyagi already knew. And if Miyagi knew, Ayako would know too.

_I'm pretty lucky they weren't squealing._ He thought. When practice was over, Mitsui went to the shower room and planned to take a quick shower. He passed by his locker and got his stuff. When he turned around, Miyagi was standing by the door. He waved as he smiled at Mitsui.

"I wouldn't pressure myself if I were you, my friend." Miyagi said as he patted Mitsui's back.

"Hey, I was just trying to clear my mind." Mitsui replied as he chuckled.

"At the rate you're going now, you'll lose some of your precious stamina." Miyagi said with a concerned tone. "Miyu-chan won't like that if you get sick before she can even see you play!" Miyagi added.

"You're teasing me short stuff! Don't worry I won't" Mitsui replied as he smiled.

"Well, let's say I am, but I'm warning you.. Don't get sick during the game." Miyagi said as he gave way.

Miyagi knew that when Mitsui makes a promise, he would try his best to keep it. Mitsui took a quick shower and got dressed. He went out of the shower room and returned his towel to his locker. His unkempt hair was still damp and was falling into his face. He then noticed Miyagi again by the front door.

"What? Miyagi? What are you still doing here?" Mitsui said as he approached him.

"Miyuki is waiting for you outside by the school gate." Miyagi said with a grin on his face. Mitsui frowned.

"Are you teasing me again?" Mitsui asked as Miyagi shrugged.

"See for yourself. Ja ne! I'm going home." he said as he smiled humorously and walked away.

_Why is she waiting for me? _Mitsui thought. He walked towards the gate and saw that it was really Miyuki, sitting on one of the benches under a large Sakura tree and was reading a book. Mitsui approached her while she was busy reading.

"Why are you still here Miyuki? It's dangerous staying here especially at night." Mitsui said as he seated himself beside her.

Miyuki closed her book and lowered her head. "I just… want to… see if you're okay." Miyuki said as she stood up.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard sempai. I want to see you play this tomorrow, you know…" She added. The leaves of the large Sakura tree swayed as the wind blew. She walked towards the gate and went home. Mitsui decided to go home as well. When he came home, he plopped in his bed and began to think. _Miyuki may be right.. I may be practicing too hard. _He thought as he tried his best to sleep. He needs all the strength he can for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Ayako decided to sleep over at Miyuki's house. She got some things from her house before she went to Miyuki. Ayako walked to the front porch and rang the doorbell. Miyuki opened the door as Ayako stepped inside. The two went upstairs to Miyuki's room as Ayako settled in.

"I'm sorry my room is such a mess again." Miyuki said as she picked up the things that was scattered on the floor.

Ayako then noticed a sketchpad that was lying beside a table. The two seated on the floor when they were done.

"Hey, can I look at your sketch pad?" Ayako said. Just when Miyuki said, "Yes" she suddenly remembered that there were sketches of Miyagi in there. Ayako then saw Miyagi's pictures on the sketchpad and smiled. Miyuki blushed when Ayako looked at her.

"You like Ryota-kun, don't you Miyu-chan?" Ayako said. Miyuki blushed as he turned her back on her.

"Uhm.. no.. uhh, why do you think so.. A..Aya-chan?" Miyuki stammered. Ayako faced Miyuki as she smiled.

"You can tell me. It's not everyday that Miyuki Kanazumi blushes and falls for a guy, right?" Ayako said.

"Anou.. Ayako-chan.. If I admit that I am feeling weird towards him, would you swear that you'd never tell him?" Miyuki said with pleading eyes and was playing with her fingertips. Ayako giggled and nodded.

"Have you ever fell in love, Miyuki-chan?" Ayako asked.

"There are many definitions of love, Aya-chan. I always thought love is a term in a tennis match." Miyuki thought. Ayako giggled. "I looked up other meanings. It was said that love is a feeling or attraction to someone."

"Well, I'm not surprised. You see, when you love someone, you feel at ease with him or her. You're happy when you're with him or when you care about someone." Ayako said as she looked dreamily at the ceiling. Miyuki looked at the ceiling with a confused look.

"You've changed a lot since you met Ryota-kun, haven't you? You learned to care for other people. And I'm happy that Ryota-kun made you like that." Ayako added.

"You made me who I am right now too, Aya-chan!" Miyuki smiled at what Ayako said. "See, you're practically smiling!" Ayako said as she looked at Miyuki happily. "You look a lot better when you smile like that!"

Miyuki hugged Ayako and smiled happily. "Arigato Aya-chan! You're really a friend, just like the definitions say."

Ayako giggled. _Oh well, she is still a genius after all._ The two decided to sleep early. When Miyuki was fast asleep, Ayako looked at the sketches of Ryota and smiled.

_I like Ryota-kun so much, although he is now aware of it. But Miyu-chan likes him too.. What can I do? _Ayako was getting confused now. _But still, I think Ryota-kun likes Miyu-chan too.. Okay! I won't tell. After all, it's all for Miyu-chan.._ She thought. She put away the sketchpad and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Ayako and Miyuki went to the coliseum. The game starts in 30 minutes. There were already a lot of people inside. Ayako went to the bench and Miyuki followed her. The players were doing some warm-up exercises. Miyuki looked for Miyagi. She saw him beside Mitsui as they did some warm-ups. Ayako called Miyagi as the player approached them. Mitsui looked at Miyuki standing beside Ayako as she talked to Miyagi. As Miyagi shifted his eyes to Miyuki, Mitsui saw something that he couldn't believe he saw.

_A smile? Did I just saw a smile from Miyuki? _He thought. Miyagi then went back to warming up as Miyuki looked on for a vacant seat. She found an empty chair beside Haruko.

"Mitsui, did you see what I saw?" Miyagi asked with a confused look.

"Miyuki smiled at you?" Mitsui replied blankly as he stretched his legs.

"Yeah! She said Ayako made her smile last night. I really don't know how, but Ayako can sure work up miracles with that girl!" Miyagi said as he grinned. Mitsui kept silent for a while.

_I have this urge to win this game. I can't let something distract me. Hell, I'm not jealous. _He thought.

The bell rang signaling the start of the first quarter match between Miuradai and Shohoku. The crowd of Shohoku howled and cheered, as Shohoku is the lead. But during the end of the first half, Miuradai and Shohoku tied 40-40. Akagi, Miyagi and Mitsui were already exhausted in defending their lead. Mitsui rested while waiting for the second half.

"Miuradai must have practiced hard for this game. They're practically on fire. But nice work, Mitsui.. Keep it up." Akagi said as he patted Mitsui on the back. He wiped the sweat off his face and looked up at the audience seats. He saw Miyuki talking to Haruko. He looked away and prepared himself. He then took out a handkerchief (Miyuki's handkerchief) and tied it neatly on his right wrist. Miyagi approached him and seated next to him.

"Getting some rays of inspiration, I see.." Miyagi said as he looked up to where Miyuki was.

"You're still in the mood for teasing me." Mitsui simply said.

"You're pretty down. Remember she wants to see you play a good game today." Miyagi said. Mitsui shrugged as the bell for the second half rang.

The second half is more exciting than the first. Shohoku managed to score two points, but Miuradai managed to tie with them. Miuradai must have trained hard for this season. There are only two minutes left, Miyagi managed to score 2 points but the captain also managed to score 3 points, making Miuradai 1 point ahead of Shohoku. There is only less than a minute already. Rukawa had the ball but he was carefully guarded so he can't shoot. Looking around, he saw Mitsui's open so he passed it to him. Mitsui caught the ball as he is working his way to the basket. The people cheered as Mitsui picked up his pace with Sakuragi and Rukawa behind him. Ayako stood up as she prayed hard for Mitsui to shoot the ball. Miyuki watched as she crossed her fingers. She kept silent, trying not to go gaga over a simple match.

_You can do it, sempai!_ Miyuki thought as if she is sending a message through telepathy.

Mitsui was already open as he aimed to shoot the ball. He then grew dizzy all of a sudden, but he ignored it and was able to shoot a 3-point shot at the last second. The crowd celebrated as Shohoku won their first match for the season, and survived the surprising play of Miurudai. Miyuki stood up and was very happy. She went down to the court with Haruko and hugged Ayako as the three cheered on. Back in the middle court, Shohoku is celebrating as Miuradai congratulated the winner. Miyagi and the others ran towards Mitsui who was catching his breath. Sakuragi patted him on the back and laughed his trademark laugh.

"Micchy! Nice game! But wait.. Don't forget if the Tenzai hadn't guarded your back who knows?" Sakuragi said as he laughed.

"Do Ahou!" Rukawa said as he walked away.

"You black-haired kitsune! Don't ruin my mood!" Sakuragi said as he clenched his fist. He noticed that Mitsui is not even standing up and was shivering so hard.

"Oi, Micchy boy! Are you crying tears of joy?" Sakuragi said as he looked at Mitsui.

"Idiot.. Something isn't right here." Miyagi said as he approached Mitsui.

Back in the benches, Ayako noticed a slight problem within the Shohoku players. She approached the players as Miyuki and Haruko followed her. Miyagi approached Ayako as she asked what's happening.

"Something's wrong with Mitsui." Miyagi said as Ayako approached Mitsui.

"Sempai. What's happening to you?" Ayako asked.

Miyuki approached Mitsui as she examined Mitsui who was breathing heavily. She knelt down in front of Mitsui and placed her hand at his back.

"Sempai, I told you not to force yourself too hard,. Look what's happening to you…" Miyuki whispered to him.

Mitsui went limp and fell on the floor as Miyuki caught him and laid him down for a while. Ayako went out to get a first aid kit. Kogure looked at Mitsui with his worried expression. He shifted his eyes on Miyuki, who looked pretty calm as she supported Mitsui's weight with the help of Miyagi.

"I know what you're thinking Kiminobu-san." Miyuki said without even looking at him. "Our hero for today here had been pushing himself too hard during practice. And as we all know he doesn't have that much stamina. It's obviously over fatigue. Nothing serious." She added.

Akagi approached Kogure with a confused look.

"Captain, don't worry. Miyuki-chan is right. Mitsui-san just needs to rest, that's all." Kogure said.

Early the next morning, Mitsui opened his eyes to find himself in his room. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was hallucinating or something. But he was actually there.

_What am I doing here? Last thing I remembered is that I'm at the coliseum, Shohoku won… and I passed out.._ Mitsui thought.

He got up and looked around. He then saw Miyuki asleep beside the window, with a book on her lap, her long brownish black hair covering up half of her face. He approached her and leaned and brushed the hair off her face. Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked at Mitsui with her sleepy green eyes.

"Ohayou gozaimasu! So, the hero of the game is awake, I see.." Miyuki said as she smiled. Mitsui turned as he looked away.

"Yeah. Uhm, by the way. How long have I been sleeping?" Mitsui asked as he scratched his head.

"You were sleeping since you were in the coliseum.. And that was yesterday!" Miyuki said with a grin on her face.

Mitsui eyes widened. "NO WAY!" he reacted as Miyuki nodded in a teasing manner. Mitsui sighed as he dragged himself to bed.

"So, it's my turn to take care of you now, am I?" Miyuki said as she smiled and walked out of the room.

Mitsui followed her in his gaze. _I never thought that girl would even smile like that._ He thought.

He lied on his back as he recalled what Miyuki said to her back then. _You can easily fake a smile._ Then, why is she smiling when she hated the fact that one can fake it? _Miyuki is really weird sometimes. Oh well, better see her smile than blank. _He thought. He then decided to go downstairs to fix breakfast. When he entered the kitchen, Miyuki was there staring out the window.

_Is she daydreaming or something?_ Mitsui thought.

He then saw her holding a pencil and a sketchpad. It seems she was really in deep thought. As he tried to sneak in behind her, Miyuki awoke from her "daydreaming" and smiled at Mitsui.

"Sempai, it's not good to sneak behind other people's back, especially when they're thinking about something." Miyuki said as she closed her sketchpad.

"Gomen, Gomen, Miyuki." Mitsui said as he raised one hand and bowed.

"I hope you're okay now, sempai. I have to go home this afternoon. No one else is watching the house." Miyuki said with a concerned look.

"Yeah, I'm okay now. Sorry for getting you into trouble." Mitsui said as he scratched his head.

"No, not at all sempai! Uhm, well, I'm going to get my stuff upstairs. Be right back!" Miyuki said as she disappeared from the room.

Mitsui took the sketchpad that was on the table and looked at the entries. There was a sketch of a house, probably their house back in Shinjuku, a sketch of a guy that kind of looks like her. As he flipped through the pages, on the last pages there was a sketch of Miyagi. There was a sketch of him when he was in the classroom, during practice game and the last entry was yesterday during the game itself. He seated at the chair and began to think.

_So, Miyuki probably likes Miyagi._ He thought with a disappointed look. Miyuki entered the room and noticed Mitsui in deep thought. She tugged Mitsui's sleeve as Mitsui looked at her.

"So now, you're the one who's been daydreaming." Miyuki said.

Mitsui tried to smile as Miyuki picked up the sketchpad and put it in her bag.

"You like Miyagi don't you?" Mitsui said as he watched Miyuki's expression with a grin. A faint blush ran through Miyuki's cheeks as she turned her back on him.

"Err.. se..sempai, what made you think… that way?" Miyuki said as she laughed nervously. _Great! Now Mitsui-sempai thinks so too!_ She thought.

"Well, if you're scared to admit because I might tell him, don't worry. I won't tell the guy." Mitsui said as he smiled.

Miyuki turned around and gave him a pleading look. " Well.." Miyuki said as she looked away. "What do YOU think, sempai?" she asked.

Mitsui shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I think you do." He added. Miyuki nodded sheepishly as Mitsui laughed out loudly.

"Meanie! If you tell him, I swear you'll be sorry." Miyuki said with a worried yet sweet tone.

"Nah! I won't tell the guy. I just laughed because you look so sweet when you smile." Mitsui said. "It's hard to believe you're the Miyuki I pulled in the hallway and threatened to bite my hand off." He added.

Miyuki smiled at the thought and nodded. She then stood up and bowed.

"You going already?" Mitsui said as Miyuki nodded.

"Just promise me you really wouldn't tell." Miyuki said as he darted her eyes on Mitsui.

"Alright, alright! I won't!" Mitsui said as he walked Miyuki outside.

"Arigato, again." Mitsui said as he watched Miyuki walk away. He then went inside and slumped on the sofa. _Great, just when I actually liked this girl, she tells me that she likes my teammate.And to be more precise, my friend… Damn! I think I'm experiencing Sakuragi's fate too!_ He thought.

"He knew, what!" Ayako squealed as Miyuki nodded. Ayako smiled and giggled.

"He saw my sketchpad! It's this stupid sketchpad's fault!" Miyuki said eyeing the sketchpad.

"No way, girl! It's the owner of the sketchpad. You leave that thing practically anywhere!" Ayako said as she giggled again. Miyuki groaned and realized Ayako's point.

"Yeah, I have this really weird habit of leaving things practically everywhere. I have this belief that if I put something away, I won't be able to find it again." Miyuki said as she groaned.

"Now don't worry. Sempai is not that much of a teaser anyway." Ayako comforted. They were in a coffee shop near the park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so why waste the day imprisoning yourself in your house?

"You sure are childish, Miyu-chan" she said as she giggled.

"Yeah, well.. What can I say? After all, I'm only 15 you know.." Miyuki said as she smiled. While the two were chatting, Ayako saw Ryota and Hanamichi walking near the coffee shop. Ayako called the two players as the two approached them.

"Aya-chan!" Miyagi said with enthusiasm. Hanamichi laughed at Miyagi's expression.

"Where are you guys going?" Ayako asked.

"Were going to Micchy's place. We'll just hang out." Sakuragi said as he laughed again.

"Hey, Miyu-chan. Aren't you supposed to stay with him?" Miyagi asked.

"Well, he said he was okay and that I should go home and get some rest too." Miyuki replied.

"Can I join you guys?" Miyagi asked. Ayako nodded as Miyagi pulled a chair and seated with the girls.

"Oi, Oi curly! I thought you're coming to Micchy's place too!" Sakuragi asked.

"You go on ahead.. I have something to tell Ayako.. I'll follow a bit a bit later." Miyagi said. Hanamichi frowned and stomped all the way to Mitsui's house.

"Well now.. that guy sure like to laugh." Miyuki said as he looked at Hanamichi stomp his way out of her sight.

"That guy is really a lunatic." Miyagi said as he sighed.

"I'll be back you guys. I just need to check out something." Miyuki said as she stood up and went inside the café.

"So, what came into your head to leave Sakuragi-kun like that?" Ayako asked.

"Nothing much. I just want to ask for a few tips. You see, I want to help Mitsui in confessing his oh-so-great feelings to a certain girl." Miyagi said sarcastically.

"Sempai likes a girl? And who is this oh-so-great girl that sempai likes? And why are you asking me?" Ayako said with a surprised look.

"You'll be a great help to him!" Miyagi said.

Miyagi looked around before whispering the girl's name to Ayako.

"You're kidding!" Ayako exclaimed. Miyagi shook his head as Ayako drank another sip of coffee.

"I'll be right back. I have to go now before Sakuragi comes back and drag me away like a prisoner. Ja ne!" Miyagi said as he stood up and walked away.

_Man! This is just great.. Mitsui-sempai likes Miyuki, but Miyuki likes Ryota-kun! Oh no!_ She thought. _So that explains his very weird behavior towards Miyu-chan. What a great predicament! _Ayako thought.

That night, Ayako couldn't sleep a wink. No matter how much she wanted to erase him from her mind, she still liked that stupid curly guy so much. She liked Miyagi for a long time already, but she doesn't want to admit it to Miyagi. _Miyuki doesn't need to know._ She thought. But, Miyagi was calm and looked very happy when he said that Mitsui liked Miyuki. _Does that mean that Ryota-kun doesn't like Miyu-chan?_ She thought again. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. _There's only one way to find out._

Early the next morning, Ayako approached Miyagi. Ayako dragged Miyagi to the school grounds and stopped under the tree.

"Aya-chan, you seem very serious. Is there something wrong?" Miyagi said as he examined Ayako's face.

"I ask a question and I need a solid answer from you, understand?" Ayako said as she readied her paper fan. Miyagi nodded in fear. Ayako was silent for a while.

"Aya-chan? What do you want to ask?" Miyagi said as he waited for Ayako to say something.

"Ryota-kun, is there any chance that you like Miyu-chan?" Ayako asked as she took a deep breath. Miyagi was surprised at Ayako's question.

"Eh? Like her? Well, I think Miyu-chan real nice. She's pretty and a genius! I'm at ease with her but I don't 'like-like' her. You see, like I said last year, I like someone else." Ryota said as he looked at Ayako. "And it's.. it's you"

Ayako knew that Ryota liked her since day one, but she just shrugs off the idea before. _Geez, you have no idea how much my heart flutters when you say that. I like you too, Ryota-kun. But I can't tell you. I don't know how Miyu-chan will react if she finds out._

Ayako looked at Miyagi cheerfully. "Well now, that settles my questions. Sorry to bother you Ryota-kun!" she said as she ran away leaving Miyagi looking at her from afar.

_Great! I just told her my feelings and she runs away. Sometimes I can't understand that girl!_ Miyagi thought. Meanwhile, Ayako was running blindly towards the gym with tears in her eyes. She sat on a bench and let her tears fall down her cheeks.

"I'm so stupid talking to myself like this!" Ayako said to herself as she wiped her tears with her hankie. She was busy crying that she did not sense that Miyuki entered the gym. She then saw Ayako crying and tried to approach her. But she took a step back and was surprised when she heard what Ayako said to herself. "Kimi o aishiteru, Ryota-kun. Darn! I'm getting weirder and weirder each day! I need an attitude adjustment"

**Okay, review time.. please drop a review if you like... Hope you like this... TC! **


	6. Chapter 6: I'm Always Around

**Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Slam Dunk… If I did, Miyagi will be mine mine MINE! Ahehehe.. SD belongs to Inoue-sensei… **

_**Autumnchloe.. You're the only reviewer for chapter 5.. Ironduke is nowhere to be found.. oh well, thanks for reviewing chapter 5.. here's what's going to happen next.. (obviously..) **_

**Chapter 6**

Miyuki was surprised upon hearing what Ayako said. She took a step backward and decided to run away, she wanted to get as far as she could from Ayako. She was supposed to be absent for today to take care of Mitsui. But Mitsui insisted her to go to school.

_I shouldn't have gone to school if I only knew I was going to find something I don't want to find out!_ Miyuki said as she ran outside the school gates and slowed down when she was outside. She walked back to her house and locked the door. She then buried herself in the covers, planning not to come out until she can figure out what the hell can she do with her life. _Just when things were getting pretty nice for me.._

_Miyuki, don't you understand? You're nothing but a mere experiment. So why bother living this incompetent world of yours. You're a freak! You don't belong here! Aya-chan is keeping secrets from you. She didn't mention anything about her feelings for Ryota, right? And besides, haven't you heard from some of the starting players that Ryota liked Ayako since they were in first year? You're optimistic view is keeping you from seeing the fact. You have an exceptional mind, for crying out loud! Use it! _

Thoughts began to circulate in her mind, as if someone was dictating her what to do.

"No way! Aya-chan wouldn't do such a thing! She must have some rational reason for not telling me." Miyuki said to herself as she closed her eyes.

_Really, then what do you think is her rational reason? Have you forgotten already that humans can easily mock other people? You don't know what's on their minds. That's what makes freaks like you exceptional. You're different from them. You're more advanced. But it seems Ryota is changing your point of view. You opt for the things you only want to see. _

Miyuki covered her ears. She doesn't want to listen to that frantic voice already. "No, I'm not listing to you anymore! I'm.. I.. I am a human being too, you know! Please just stop making me think such nonsense!" Miyuki screamed as she buried herself under the covers as she tried to fall asleep. "I.. I want to escape this fraud world. Can't anyone take me already?"

The next morning, Mitsui waited for Miyuki in the gym. It seems that Miyuki likes hanging out there before classes start. She even told him to wait for her there and watch him do some free throw shots. Mitsui looked at his watch as he waited for Miyuki to arrive. _She might not come to school today._ He thought with a disappointed look on his face. He then walked towards his locker to get some of his things. He then happened to meet Miyagi on his way.

"Hey, is Miyuki with you this morning?" Mitsui asked.

"Huh? Not today, Mitsui. As of now she's absent for two days in a row." Miyagi said in a worried tone. "I thought she's with you. I tried to see if she was at home, but there's no one there." He added.

Mitsui was surprised at what Miyagi said. "No way! I told her yesterday to attend her class. And she's not in my house anymore." Mitsui said with a worried tone.

"Aya-chan tried calling her up, but only her answering machine is on." Miyagi replied.

"Oh well, maybe she just went out to visit someone." Mitsui said. Miyagi shrugged as they decided to hang out. _Visit someone? But who is it? She's not that close to her relatives… _3 days later, there were still no sign of Miyuki. No phone call, no message and she were absent since Monday. It troubled Mitsui so much. He tried calling her through her cell phone, but it was off.

_Man! Why would she just vanish like that?_ Mitsui thought as she tried reaching Miyuki's phone again. They were having their Saturday practice that time. While on their break, Mitsui gave up on trying to contact her.

"You can't contact Miyu-chan too, don't you sempai?" Ayako asked as she seated next to him. Mitsui shook his head and sighed.

"Where do you think she may have gone?" Mitsui asked.

"I don't know either, sempai. Her house is shut tight. And if she went out to visit somebody, who could it be? She said she's not that fond of her relatives" Ayako said worriedly.

Meanwhile, Miyuki arose from her bed as she changed her clothes and stepped out of her house. She was wearing a black blouse and a long gray skirt and was walking towards Shohoku High. Her skin was pale and her lonely green eyes stared blankly at the pathway. As she entered the gates, she headed for the hallway and made her way upstairs to the rooftop. She happened to pass by Sakuragi who was wandering in the hallway.

"Hey, you're the girl with Micchy back then." Sakuragi asked as he looked at the girl. She looked at Sakuragi blankly and lowered her head.

"Sakuragi-kun, do me a favor and don't mention to anyone that you saw me just now, ne?." Miyuki said as she walked away.

_What? Micchy sure has a weird taste when it comes to women!_ Sakuragi thought as he whistled and walked away.

Miyuki reached the rooftop and looked at the beautiful view of Kanagawa.

_Kanagawa, who would have thought that I'd find inclusion here... _She took out her cell phone and opened it. She received a lot of messages from Ayako, Mitsui and Kogure. She deleted the other messages and read Kogure's message.

_Miyu-chan, where on earth are you? Ayako, Mitsui and Miyagi are all worried about you. Please tell me where you are._

She decided to reply to his message. While Kogure was eating his snack, he heard his cell phone beep. He opened the message as soon as he saw that it was Miyuki.

_Kiminobu-san, I'm glad you still bother to look for me. Anyway, don't worry about me. A few moments from now, I will finally escape this forsaken life of mine. And I will finally be happy, happier than I was before. Please tell my brother to take care of himself. And please tell Aya-chan, sempai and Miyagi-kun that I'm very glad that they were so good to me._

"What the… What did she mean by that?" Kogure said to himself. He suddenly remembered what Miyuki said to him when she lost her dear best friend.

_Someday, I'll finally have my rest, just like her. All the pains of my life will go away and I'll be able to escape my fate._ He ran to the hallways to look for Mitsui or Miyagi. He called Miyuki and waited for an answer.

"Kiminobu-kun"

"Miyu-chan! Where on earth are you? Look, if you're planning what I think you're planning, forget it! I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do!" Kogure said nervously on the other line. Miyuki disconnected the line as Kogure tried to reach her again. _Great! I have to find Mitsui or Ayako, anyone! _He thought. He then saw Mitsui resting under a tree.

"Mitsui! We have to find Miyu-chan right now!" Kogure said as he shook Mitsui.

"Oi, oi.. Megane-kun! We don't even know where she is." Mitsui said with a worried look.

Sakuragi then passed by Kogure and Mitsui and stopped when he saw all their worried faces.

"What's up? It seems you guys just found a dead body or something." Sakuragi said as he laughed. Mitsui's eyes darted at Sakuragi as he stopped laughing.

"Hey, it was a joke Micchy! Sheesh, you're just like your girlfriend today." Sakuragi said as he walked away. Mitsui sighed as he began to think.

"Hey, wait a minute, just like… her…" Mitsui said as he ran after Sakuragi.

"Tell me tensai! If you are really one.. Did you see Miyuki today?" Mitsui said as he shook Sakuragi with one hand. "Darn! Answer me!"

"Yeah, yeah.. I saw her a while ago in the hallway. But she told me not to tell anyone I saw her!" Sakuragi said. Mitsui let go of Sakuragi and began to think.

_If she is here, where could she have gone?_ Kogure looked up and saw the rooftop. _Yeah! She could be there, she said she like heights very much._

"Mitsui-san, go to the rooftop and get Miyuki down right now. I have the feeling she might be there." Kogure said with a worried tone. Mitsui looked confused, but he nodded and ran upstairs to the rooftop.

_If that girl is planning to kill herself, she said she wanted to die in a place where she was truly happy. And if I am correct, Miyuki likes to stay in rooftops or anywhere where she can see a good view. That girl really needs an attitude adjustment. _Kogure thought. Kogure then looked for Miyagi and Ayako and told them about why Miyuki suddenly disappeared.

_Why are you doing this Miyu-chan?. _Ayako thought.

"Miyagi, Mitsui wanted you to do him a favor if ever he failed to persuade Miyuki." Kogure said.

"What is it?" Miyagi asked. Kogure talked to him as Ayako paced back and forth. She wanted to run after Miyuki but Kogure stopped her.

"Aya-chan, I'm sure Mitsui can handle her himself." Kogure said as Ayako looked up to the rooftop with tears in her eyes.

"Mitsui is counting on you too, Miyagi" Kogure said as the curly-haired guy (kawaii!) nodded and prepared himself.

Meanwhile, Mitsui ran like hell upstairs to the rooftop. He opened the door and saw Miyuki looking down at the ground. Miyuki was about to step into the edge but she turned around when he heard Mitsui's voice.

"Miyuki! What the hell are you doing? Get down from there and we'll talk your problems through!"

"I'm finally going to transcend death, the phenomenon that no one in this world can explain. I'll.. I'll have the answer and you expect me to turn away from it? And besides, I'll be able to elude this torture—"

"Darn! You think you can escape everything by jumping this stupid roof­—"

"I'll be happy, sempai! Don't you want me to be happy? Aya-chan and Miyagi-kun-kun will be happy too!"

"Happy for what? I don't know if geniuses like you simply just can't understand normal people's logic, but no one's happy when someone dies especially if that someone has friends! You should know better, you experienced losing a friend already!"

Miyuki was silent for a while. She lowered her head and looked away.

"I'm doing this so that Aya-chan will be happy. She has been so good to me, but… I'm not even aware that I'm being selfish…" Miyuki said in a low tone. "I knew Ryota-kun liked Aya-chan. For crying out loud, I'm not dumb! I'm just living in an illusion, sempai. I have to escape from this fraud world.. I can't take this life anymore. Sure, I'm happy being with you guys. But what am I here anyway?." She added.

Miyuki looked at Mitsui with tearful eyes. She whispered, "Sayonara, Mitsui-kun". She took a step backward and waited for her to hit the ground and be lost forever. But Mitsui caught her hand as he held onto a metal post.

"Sempai! Please let me go.. Don't make me hesitate into doing this. I can't take it anymore. Solitude, hatred.. All of it is crammed in my head. I want to die, please!" Miyuki said as she looked pleadingly at Mitsui. Mitsui tightened his grasp as Miyuki was slowly slipping down.

"Climb back up! You might want to die, but I don't Ayako and Miyagi don't, no one does!" Mitsui said as he tried pulling her up. Miyuki closed her eyes as she slipped from Mitsui's hand. (A/N I think sooo dramatically, argh! Amphness!)

_A lot of people wonder where and what afterlife really looks like. Some religions have different beliefs regarding this stage in a human life. Buddhists believe that when someone dies, they will cross the Sanzu River, the legendary river of the dead. A boat will carry him across into the after life. According to the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, afterlife is divided into three parts, heaven, purgatory and hell. Catholics also believe the same aspect. God will judge man and place him to his rightful place._ _I'm finally going to elude this life that I have hated so much. _Miyuki thought as she can feel her end slowly nearing.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture everything on her mind. _Aya-chan, Kiminobu-san, Mitsui sempai, onichan.. (Kaname)…_ _I'll be happy, finally._ Thoughts of Miyagi suddenly drifted into her mind. He was very good to her since they met, and he was still good to her. She has to forget about him, for the sake of her dear friend Aya-chan, and for her sake too. All those thoughts, those stupid emotions and her fate, soon she'll go insane like her father, if she doesn't do something. She closed her eyes again as she screamed in the top of her lungs. _Ryota-kun! _(A/N:please forgive the lunatic that created this that is me… I think kind of different.. and I'm beginning to show symptoms of weirdness in my head.. harhar.. /heh)

Then, out of nowhere, Miyagi ran like hell and jumped as high as he could to catch Miyuki. He managed to catch her and they both fell hard on the ground. Miyuki closed her eyes and passed out.

_Whoa—What just happened? _Miyuki thought as she opened her eyes and looked at the person who saved her.

"You might be a genius, Miyu-chan but sometimes a guy like Mitsui can outsmart you." The boy said. Miyuki was surprised when she saw that it was Miyagi.

"Miyagi-kun! What.. how.. how did you.." Miyuki stammered as Miyagi tried to calm her down. Tears welled up in Miyuki eyes and fell down her cheeks. Miyagi wrapped his arms around Miyuki as she silently cried in his arms.

"Why did you do it, Miyagi-kun? I have to get rid of myself. It's for you and Aya-chan's sake. It's for my sake too!" Miyuki said as she cried.

"Miyu-chan, if ever Aya-chan is already mine, she won't be the Aya-chan I liked so much. Hell, you guys are best friends, and she won't be happy when you're gone. And I won't be happy especially when I don't have you walking with me every morning and throwing pebbles to your window, ne?" Miyagi said as he placed his hand on Miyuki's shoulders.

"That why I just want to be a simple-minded guy. At least I don't have weird thoughts in my mind." Miyagi said as he smiled at Miyuki. Miyuki blushed as she lowered her head.

Ayako and Kogure ran towards Miyagi and Miyuki. When Ayako saw Miyuki, she quickly approached her with tears in her eyes and hugged her tight.

"For heaven's sake, Miyuki don't do that thing ever again!" Ayako said as tears fell down her cheeks. Miyuki embraced Ayako as she silently cried with her.

"Gomen ne, Ayako-chan." Miyuki said softly.

Meanwhile, Mitsui ran downstairs and approached Miyuki. "Hey, you think you're the only genius, I have some weird tricks up my sleeve too..." He said as he patted Miyuki's shoulders.

A few hours later, Ayako and Miyagi decided to leave Miyuki with Mitsui.

"I have to teach this genius a lesson." Mitsui said as he pulled Miyuki into his house.

"Mitsui-sempai sure makes things sound drastic." Ayako said with a smile.

"Mitsui can handle Miyuki. He might not show it, but I bet he was really worried about Miyuki." Miyagi said with a grin. Ayako and Miyagi walked away and decided to hang out at the park until sunset.

Meanwhile, Mitsui was pacing back and forth in the living room while Miyuki watched him. Miyuki knew Mitsui is going to be pretty mad as she prepared herself for Mitsui to say something.

_Mitsui-sempai, he acts like my brother._ Miyuki said as she glanced at him again.

Mitsui then pulled Miyuki by the hand and dragged her to the attic. He opened one of the windows and climbed to the roof as Miyuki followed him. The two then settled on the roof and watched as the sun was slowly setting in the horizon.

Mitsui broke the silence as he sighed. "Why do you want to die so badly? If you have problems Miyuki, you can tell Ayako, Miyagi, Kogure, or even me. If you want to know your so-called "death" sheesh, go consult the encyclopedia!"

"Gomen nasai, sempai. It's just that, I don't even know why I'm here. I thought Kanagawa is no place for a gene manipulation experiment like me. If I don't something, all those thinking might make me insane!" Miyuki said as she lowered her head. "It's pretty weird how things in this world are somewhat linked and can work harmoniously." She added.

"Kogure was right. You are vulnerable. You shouldn't give in to your thoughts. I mean, a thought is only a thought. And you are the one who can control your thoughts, not the other way around." Mitsui said as he laughed. "Now where did I get those oh-so-inspiring words?"

Miyuki giggled and looked at the sun as it set in the bay. "Arigato, sempai." Miyuki said as she looked away. "You saved me for two times in a row already. Thanks for being so nice."

Mitsui looked at her as he smiled. _She finally became cheerful again. _Mitsui thought. The stars began to grow visible as the night sky swathe Kanagawa. The moon was very bright as it lightly illuminated the night sky. The street lamps and stores were lit all over the area.

"Kogure told me you like heights." Mitsui said as he scanned the view. "Now I understand why."

Miyuki nodded, as she kept silent for a while. Mitsui laid on his back and looked at the stars. He shifted his eyes on Miyuki who was looking up the stars too.

"Say, Miyuki. About Miyagi, what are you going to do now?" Mitsui said as he kept his eyes on Miyuki. Miyuki looked sad as she lowered her head.

"Sempai, I'm sure you know already one of the laws in physics, ne? When two are compatible, they bond with each other.. If they're not, they simply repel each other or look for some other things that they're compatible with…" Miyuki said as she sighed.

"Who cares about those physics stuff? I don't even know why we need to study all those crap." Mitsui said as he scratched his head.

"Well, sempai… physics plays a major role—" Miyuki was interrupted as Mitsui tugged her sleeve lightly. "For crying out loud, Miyuki! You sound like my Physics teacher already!" he said as he laughed.

Miyuki smiled as she looked up the sky again. "Well, what can I do? Aya-chan likes Miyagi-kun too. I don't have the right to be angry or anything… Maybe I ought to help them out."

"Wait, did you just say Ayako likes that oh-so-curly-haired kid too? Great! Hey, wait just one minute? Did you plan to kill yourself because of that?" Mitsui said as he looked sternly at Miyuki like she's some kind of suspect or something..

"No! Of course not.. That will be a pretty shallow excuse. Didn't I tell you about that a while ago?" Miyuki said with a smile. "I guess, I have to forget about him. I have to plan out something that will help Miyagi to know that Aya-chan likes him too. But, it won't be that easy. I can tell…" She added as she began to think.

Meanwhile, Ayako and Miyagi were having a snack by the park. They were seated under a tree as Miyagi laid on the soft grass. Ayako was in deep thought. She looked at Miyagi who was taking a short nap.

_He's such a nice guy. No wonder Miyu-chan fell for him. Like I said before, he doesn't need to know I like him too. It's the consequence of not telling him my feelings earlier. _Ayako thought. Miyagi woke up and stretched his arms. He looked at Ayako and smiled.

"You're looking at me for quite some time now, Aya-chan!" Miyagi said as he snickered. Ayako blushed as she hit him with her trademark paper fan and looked away.

"What does that mean!" Ayako exclaimed as she looked away. The two then looked at the night sky and sighed.

"I hope this will be a lesson for Mitsui." Miyagi said.

"Lesson about what?"

"Lesson that he should say to Miyu-chan how much he likes her, before it's too late." Miyagi said. He looked at Ayako for a while. She doesn't have her cap with her, so her curly hair is not tied. "At least I'm safe already" Miyagi added.

Ayako looked at her with a confused look. "Safe from what? You're saying some weird stuff tonight. Are you hungry already?"

Miyagi looked at the street lamp as he said. "No, I mean I'm safe from regret. At least I told you my feelings already. All I'm waiting right now is for you to like me back."

Ayako was surprised. Miyagi is really serious about his feelings for her that he is actually waiting for two years in a row. Miyagi and Ayako stood up and looked at the bay.

"Can I at least walk you home for tonight?" Miyagi said. Ayako looked at him for a while before nodding. The two began walking to Ayako's house.

_I like you already Ryota-kun. I just don't want to tell you.. That's all. _Ayako thought as she looked at Miyagi who was walking casually beside her.

The two stopped at the corner of Ayako's home. The two were silent for a while. Ayako looked at the ground as she waited for Miyagi to say something.

"So, err.. I guess I'll be seeing you around, ne Ryota-kun?" Ayako said as she tried to avoid looking into Miyagi's eyes.

"Right…" Miyagi said as he looked at Ayako who was walking towards her house. He stood there for a while before turning around and walked away. Ayako peeked through the window. She looked at Miyagi who was walking away casually. She went up to her room and opened her window.

_A lot of things have happened today. Hmm, I couldn't even think that those things can actually happen in real life._ Ayako thought. The big question in her mind right now is: To tell or not to tell Miyagi.

_Miyuki might feel awfully bad if she finds out. I wonder what Mitsui-sempai felt when he found out Miyuki likes Ryota-kun. Oh, this is turning into a huge pain in the head!_ Ayako thought. She closed her window and fell asleep on her chair.

Meanwhile, Miyagi walked back to his house. He noticed Miyuki who was opening her front door.

"Miyu-chan!" Miyagi said as he ran towards Miyuki.

"Miyagi-kun, where have you been?" Miyuki asked with a surprised tone.

"I walked Aya-chan home.." Miyagi said as he smiled. "Are you busy or something? Can we hang out here for a while?"

"Well, I don't have much to do. Well, I guess we can hang out here for a while." Miyuki said. The two seated on the terrace and was silent for a moment. Miyuki felt awkward, but she tried to keep herself calm. She looked at Miyagi who was very deep in thought. She sighed as she looked at the Sakura trees nearby.

"Hey.. Thanks for saving me earlier.." Miyuki whispered as she looked at the ground.

Miyagi smiled as he looked up the moon. "Nah, if there's someone to thank, you should thank Mitsui…" he replied. The two were silent for a while as they both took a deep breath.

"Miyagi-kun, I knew you like Aya-chan" Miyuki said. Miyagi smiled as he looked at Miyuki.

"Yeah. All the team members know about it, even Coach Anzai." (A/N: if not, let's just pretend he does..)

"Do you think Aya-chan likes you too?"

"If she does, then I'll be the happiest point guard alive.."

Miyagi and Miyuki laughed. "But, I guess she only wants me as a friend." Miyagi said. "All I want is for her to like me back, is that so hard to do?"

Miyuki shook her head as she looked away. _Aya-chan, why aren't you telling him anything about your feelings? _

Miyagi sighed as he closed his eyes and felt the cold breeze against his face. "But even so Miyu-chan, I won't give up on her. I promised her that she is the only girl for me."

Miyuki looked at him. She didn't want to feel bad or to cry in front of him. She lowered her head as she spoke. "You're a nice guy, Miyagi-kun. Good things come to those who wait."

Miyagi stood up and stretched his arms. "Miyu-chan, have I ever called you Kanazumi-san before?" Miyagi asked.

"Err, uhm, no.. why ask?" Miyuki said as she looked up to Miyagi.

"Do me a favor. Can you please call me Ryota-kun?" Miyagi said as he looked at Miyuki. Miyuki smiled as she looked away. "Alright then… Ryota-kun"

"That's better! Well, I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for hanging out with me." Miyagi said as he smiled at Miyuki. "You're a nice girl too, Miyu-chan" he added.

Miyuki watched Miyagi as he entered his house. She stayed on the terrace for a while and watched the leaves from the trees fall to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7: A Certain Decoy for Mitsui

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk... If I did... then, Miyagi will be mine, mine MINE! ahehehe**

_**Thatnks for all those who reviewed... Ironduke-well, with regards to Aya-chan's reaction, well.. there is a part that indicates her confusion and jealousy... But not that much since Miyu-chan means a lot more to her than Ryota-kun...; Blissful sin-hiyee siz... sowee for the long update... ahehehe.. connection probs and Ragnarok comeback mode... ahehehe... Gomen nasai!**_

**Chapter 7**

Miyuki paced back and forth in her living room. She is dressed in her school uniform and is all ready for school. But it seems that her mind is debating whether she will go to school or not. She sat in the couch and began to think.

_Compose yourself, Miyuki! You've been absent for a week now. Everything is already settled between you and Ryota-kun. And you promised two days ago that you'd come to school as soon as you're okay. And Mitsui-sempai will surely call you up later with his usual nagging! _Miyuki thought to herself.

As much as she wanted to go to school, something was keeping her from doing so. She'll just be depressed when she sees Miyagi. She might not be able to hide away her emotions. And she was certain that Ayako is not convinced that she told her every reason why she tried to kill herself. She glanced at the clock. She's going to be late if she doesn't head off at once. Miyagi already went to school ahead of her.

_You promised that you'd come to school today. Mitsui and Aya-chan will not be happy if I tell him you're absent again. _Miyagi said to her earlier.

She took a deep breath. She didn't even have the guts to look straight at Miyagi anymore. It seems she's having trouble hiding her emotions from him. It's really ironic that in spite of the genius that she is, she had become completely foolish. Miyuki's thinking was cut short when she heard the doorbell.

_Now who could that be? It must be Aya-chan._ Miyuki thought as she stood up and opened the door. She saw Mitsui who greeted her a big hello.

"Sempai? What brings you here?" Miyuki said with a surprised look.

"Well then, I'm glad you're planning to go to school today." Mitsui said as he looked at her school uniform and smiled. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry. You are planning to go to school, right?" Mitsui added.

"Uhm, yeah I do. Wait a sec, I'll just get my keys." Miyuki said as she ran upstairs to get her key. Shortly, she was on her way to school with Mitsui walking casually beside her. The two were silent as they walked toward Shohoku High.

Miyuki broke the silence as she looked at Mitsui. "Anou, sempai.. I.. I've made up my mind. I'm going to tell Aya-chan to admit her feelings for Ryota-kun" she said as she looked away. "Ryota-kun likes Aya-chan so much. Even though it's hard for me… I.. I have to forget I even liked him. He's going to be very happy if Aya-chan admits her feelings for him." She added.

Mitsui looked at her with sadness in his eyes. He looked away as he tried to think of something to say. "Are you sure you can handle seeing them together? I mean, love is not only sunshine and butterflies you know. In this stage, it's utterly bitter. Sad to say, it's not going to be easy to move on."

"I'm aware of that. I'll just have to compose myself.. Maybe preoccupy my mind with something that matters." Miyuki said gloomily. " But if that's what it takes to make Ryota-kun and Aya-chan happy, I.. I'm willing to do it."

Mitsui grew silent for a while. He can actually feel Miyuki's despair. Why can't she just notice that he's just beside her and that he's not happy seeing Miyuki sulk over Miyagi? They entered Shohoku High and walked to their locker. They happened to meet Ayako on the way.

"Miyu-chan! I'm glad you decided to come to school at last!" Ayako said cheerfully.

"Well, I was planning not to, but sempai went to my house and dragged me all the way out here." Miyuki said as she smiled.

"Okay, so it was my fault! But I had to do it so that you won't have shallow excuses to absent for the day." Mitsui said as he placed his hand at the back of his head.

The morning bell rang. Ayako and Miyuki hurried to their classroom and settled there. While waiting for their first period teacher, Miyuki was silent. She tried her best not to look at Miyagi who was busy talking to his seatmate. Ayako noticed it and felt uneasy. _I wonder what's up with Miyu-chan?_ Ayako thought. Their class president entered the class and announced that their teacher is in the clinic.

"We're going to have free time everyone!" the president announced as everyone cheered and went back to chatting with each other. Miyuki felt disappointed. Having the teacher around means that she can concentrate on more important things. She got a book from her desk and began to read. Ayako looked at her with a worried look. _She's trying to preoccupy her mind with something. _She thought.

Ayako tore a piece of paper out of her notebook and scribbled some notes in it. She folded it and passed it to Miyuki. "Read it." Ayako said with a smile. Miyuki smiled as she opened Ayako's note. Ayako went back to her daydreaming.

_Hey, Miyu-chan. I missed your presence around here… Anyway, I'm glad Mitsui-sempai finally managed to drag you here. Are you fond camp-outs? You see, the team is having a camp out tomorrow. I was wondering maybe you'd like to join us. It's going to be fun.. Please say yes… -Ayako_

Miyuki smiled as she placed the note on her desk. She looked at Ayako who was talking to their class president near the door. _Oh well, maybe a camp-out will do me good. _Miyuki said as she sighed. She then noticed Miyagi approaching her. _Oh great! Just when I need to stay away from Ryota-kun for a while… _Miyuki thought.

"Hey there! Been a while Miyu-chan!" Miyagi greeted as he smiled. Miyuki nodded as she kept the note in one of the pages of her book.

"So, are you planning to join us tomorrow? Aya-chan and Haruko-chan will join us too.." Miyagi said with a grin on his face.

"Well, I have to think about it…" Miyuki said as she sighed.

"Come on! I know Aya-chan already invited you. At least you can unwind for a couple of days. It'll get rid of those weird thoughts you always think!" Miyagi said as he pleaded. "Onegaishimas…"

Miyuki rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh well, I can't turn down Aya-chan's invitation too.. Okay, I'll go.." she said with a smile.

"Great! We'll meet at the gym at 8 a.m. tomorrow, okay?" Miyagi exclaimed as he stood up.

"Alright! Alright!" Miyuki said as she smiled. Miyagi then went back to his seat and chatted with his seatmate.

After classes, Miyuki walked by herself towards her locker. Miyagi and Ayako went ahead of her to the gym. She placed her books inside her locker. She leaned in one of the lockers and waited for someone. After a while, Mitsui came and approached her.

"Hey, I'm glad you actually waited for me here." Mitsui said with a smile. Miyuki smiled as she stood up and waited for Mitsui who was placing his books on his locker. The two walked casually towards the gym. The two separated ways as Miyuki seated beside Ayako while Mitsui did some warm-up exercises.

"Hey, Ryota-kun said you'd join us this Saturday. That's awesome!" Ayako said cheerfully.

"Yeah well, a little break won't do me any harm, right?" Miyuki said as she smiled back at Ayako. Ayako went to talk to Coach Anzai.

Miyuki was getting bored since the team is not having practice games today. She stood up and approached Ayako. "Aya-chan.. I'll be waiting for you outside." Ayako nodded as she watched Miyuki walk out of the gym.

She seated a tree near the gym exit and opened her book. _I haven't had this peace and quiet for a long time. However, all this peace is really boring. _She thought as she watched the leaves fall to the ground. She noticed a ball rolling toward her. _Hm, what is this doing out here?_ Miyuki thought as she picked it up and looked around. She then saw a familiar figure approaching her slowly. She can tell that it is a guy but she can figure out the face because of the sunlight. He stopped in front of her and looked down on her with cold, stern eyes. Miyuki stood up and looked up to him.

"Rukawa-kun, what are you doing out here? They're having an orientation about tomorrow's camp-out." Miyuki said as she handed him the ball.

"Arigato" Rukawa murmured as he watched Miyuki walk around. "Why aren't you in the gym?"

Miyuki looked at him for a while. "I have personal reasons." She whispered. "Better go now, Rukawa-kun." She added. Rukawa nodded as he walked away and headed for the gym. Miyuki seated on the bench and looked around before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, Akagi called everyone's attention as he gave some reminders about the camp out. Coach Anzai dismissed the players earlier than usual. "Better take a rest so that you'll have plenty of energy for the camp-out tomorrow." Coach Anzai said as he dismissed the players.

Mitsui went ahead to the locker room to change his clothes. After a while, Miyagi and Sakuragi entered the room.

"Mitsui, Aya-chan wanted to tell you… Miyu-chan's outside in case you're looking for her" Miyagi said with a big grin plastered on his face.

Mitsui turned red and looked away. "Err, I'm not asking Miyagi!" Mitsui said.

"Yeah yeah.. If I know, after this you'll be looking all over for her." Miyagi said in a teasing tone.

Sakuragi laughed out loudly "Oi, Micchy! You're pretty crazy over that girl of yours aren't you?" Sakuragi said in between laughter.

"Idiot!" Mitsui said as he hit him on the head. Miyagi laughed as he looked at Sakuragi. "You're going already?" Miyagi asked when he saw Mitsui walking towards the door.

"Yeah.. I'll see you tomorrow! Ja ne.." Mitsui said as he opened the door.

"Miyu-chan will be joining us in the camp-out!" Miyagi called out. Mitsui smiled back at Miyagi. "Thanks for the info!" He said as he closed the door. He walked outside the hall and looked around. He then saw Miyuki under the tree and approached her. _What? Is she asleep?_ Mitsui said as he lightly shook Miyuki. Miyuki was stirred from her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Did you have a nice nap, sleepyhead?" Mitsui said as he smiled. Miyuki rubbed her eyes as she smiled back at Mitsui. "Is orientation over, sempai?" she asked as she stood up.

Mitsui nodded as he looked away. "Miyagi told me you'd be joining us in the camp-out tomorrow." He said in a low tone. Miyuki nodded as she smiled sweetly at him. "I hope you don't mind, sempai.."

Mitsui chuckled as he looked at Miyuki. "Now why would I mind?"

"Well, because I asked you a favor to help me forget about Ryota-kun and still I'm going to the camp-out with you guys."

"Nah, It's no big deal. You can't forget that guy in just a snap, you know. I'm just her to back you up. Right?" Mitsui said as he looked away. He then saw Ayako waving at him near the gym exit. "Hey, there's Ayako, better go now." Mitsui said.

"I'll be going now sempai.. I'll see you tomorrow.. Ja ne…" Miyuki said as she waved at him as she walked away.

"I knew sempai would come looking for you." Ayako said as she grinned. Miyuki sighed as they walked towards a grocery store. "Aya-chan.. you sound like you're teasing me." Miyuki groaned. They were shopping for basic necessities for the camp-out tomorrow. While waiting in line, Ayako noticed Miyuki's worried expression.

"Hey something wrong?" Ayako asked. Miyuki looked at her and stayed silent for a while. "Anou, Aya-chan.. I don't know if I mentioned it to you already, but I'm worried about the camp-out tomorrow."

They paid for their groceries and stayed in the park for a while. "What are you worried about?" Ayako asked as they rested in the swings.

"Well, you see Aya-chan.. A camp-out means that it's in a forest, right? You see.. I get lost easily. I might get lost while camping." Miyuki said as she blushed lightly. Ayako looked at her and smiled.

"Miyu-chan, getting lost easily is nothing to be ashamed about, you know… Don't worry, each one of us will have a buddy at all times so no one gets lost, okay?" Ayako said as she glanced at Miyuki. Miyuki smiled and said. "Even so, I'm looking forward to it, Aya-chan."

Early the next morning, Miyuki woke up earlier than usual. Miyuki and Ayako stayed late at the park last night. _Okay, I still have an hour to prepare._ Miyuki thought. She took a quick shower and fixed herself. She then checked her things and soon she was on her way to Shohoku High. She saw Haruko with her brother, some of the starting players and Mitsui. A few minutes later, the team was complete and was on their way to their campsite.

Mitsui, Miyagi, Sakuragi and Rukawa were on the back of the bus. Miyagi took out his CD player and listened to some of his CDs. Mitsui was playing games on his phone, ignoring Sakuragi's very, very loud laughter while making fun of Rukawa who was staring out the window. "Do Ahou…" Rukawa muttered to Sakuragi. "Why you—" Sakuragi growled as Miyagi bonked him on the head. "Can't you just shut up for a while? Or maybe you guys can get along for a change?" Miyagi said as he went back to listening to his CDs. Meanwhile, Mitsui looked at Miyuki who was staring out the window. She was sharing her earphones with Ayako.

"You're staring at her again…." Miyagi said in a teasing tone.

"You're really into teasing me, aren't you… If I know, you're staring at your Aya-chan too.." Mitsui said as he laughed out.

"That's nothing to be ashamed about.. I'm proud that I'm staring at my beloved Aya-chan!" Miyagi said as he smiled.

"You need a break, man!" Mitsui muttered as he looked at Miyuki again. Rukawa's "meditation" was cut short when he heard Mitsui and Miyagi's conversation. He looked at Miyuki who was staring out the window. He looked away and stared out the window again. A few hours later, they reached their campsite. Akagi then called the players for their formation as the three girls went ahead to their cabins.

"This is going to be nice, isn't it girls?" Haruko said cheerfully while arranging her things. Ayako nodded and seated on the bed.

"There is just one thing that our boys out there will hate." Ayako said with a weird grin.

"Oh, what's that Aya-chan?" Miyuki said with a surprised look. Ayako and Haruko giggled as they said, "That would be cooking my dear."

"What! Last year, Ayako did the cooking… Why do we have to cook?" Everyone groaned as Coach Anzai laughed out loud. "Well, it's unfair that Ayako will do all the cooking, we'll just test your cooking skills." Coach Anzai said as he laughed out.

"Okay. I'll group you guys now, it's going to be nice if there's even one of you in the group who can cook." Coach Anzai said.

He then grouped the players according to his list. "Group A is composed of Miyagi, Mitsui, Kakuta, Kuwata, Yasuda and Rukawa. Group B is composed of Akagi, Kogure, Sakuragi, Ishii and Sasaoka". He fixed his glassed and smiled at the players. "Oh yes, I almost forgot, the three girls will be joining you too. Ayako and Miyuki will be joining Mitsui while Haruko will be joining his brother." Coach Anzai announced.

"We're so lucky! We have Miyu-chan with us!" Miyagi said out loud. Coach Anzai coughed out loud and called out. "But, I won't be allowing the girls to cook. The guys will do the cooking!" Everyone groaned as they went to their respective areas.

"Don't worry everyone, I can cook you know." Yasuda said with a big grin on his face. Mitsui grabbed him by the collar with his eyes shining. "Re..Really, YOU'RE OUR SAVIOR!" Mitsui said as he patted him loudly on the back as Miyagi and the rest laughed out.

The activities were held for the rest of the day. When nighttime came, everyone gathered around the campfire and told ghost stories. Haruko were shuddering as Ayako cuddled herself to keep warm. The guys were having a good time as they were scaring the wits out of each other. Miyuki was silent as she carefully listened to some of the stories.

"Say, Miyu-chan.. Do you believe in ghosts?" Haruko asked as she seated next to Miyuki. Miyuki nodded her head and looked up the stars.

"Even so, Haruko-chan.. I don't think they mean us much harm. I think they're just lonely beings.. We're the ones who misinterpret them." Miyuki said.

Haruko sighed as she gazed at the campfire. Coach Anzai stood up and clapped his hands. "Okay, stories are over.. Now I want to see, who among you fine young lads are "chicken"? We'll have the bravery test now." Coach Anzai called out.

Haruko shivered as Ayako stood beside her. "Now, don't worry.. You're not going off there alone.." Ayako said. She looked at Miyuki who looked very worried. "And you my lady, you're not going to get lost… Okay?" Miyuki nodded, but she still looked worried.

Coach Anzai held the numbers as each one took out a number. The pair with the same number will get to be buddies for that event. Mitsui looked at Miyuki as she took out a number and went beside Ayako. _Hmm.. I sure hope I'll get paired with her. _Mitsui thought. Everyone paced around and looked for their pair. Mitsui peeked at Miyuki number. _She's paired up with someone else.. Too bad.. I wonder who's her buddy. _Mitsui thought with a disappointed look. He glanced at Miyuki who was walking towards Rukawa. _So, it's him. Rukawa, you better take care of Miyuki while you're gone._ Mitsui thought as he walked to his pair, Kogure.

"So, Miyu-chan was paired with Rukawa-san.." Kogure said with a weird grin. "I know you're disappointed, you'll have other chances.." Kogure added as he patted him on the back..

"Whoa… I didn't say anything!" Mitsui said as he looked away. "Yeah, whatever.." Kogure said as he smiled.

"So, looks like I'll be walking in the dark woods with you, ne Rukawa-kun?" Miyuki said as they waited in line. Rukawa nodded as he kept silent for a while. He looked at Miyuki who was pretty calm as she waited. _She's not that calm a while ago, when she was with Ayako. _Rukawa thought. After a while, they walked the dark path towards the woods.

"Rukawa! If you dare lose Miyuki on the way, Mitsui will beat you up pretty badly!" Sakuragi called out as Mitsui strangled him. "Shut up you red-headed monkey!"

Rukawa and Miyuki were already in the middle of the path. Rukawa held the flashlight as Miyuki looked around.

"You're scared that we'll lose our way, aren't you?" Rukawa murmured. Miyuki looked at him and kept silent. "So, it is true.. Even a great genius like you is scared to lose your way." Rukawa added.

Miyuki looked at him blankly. "Hey, everyone have at least one greatest fear, you know!" Miyuki snapped as she looked around nervously.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Don't worry, I won't let ourselves lose our way." Rukawa said in a low tone. While walking, their flashlight flickered on and off and died down eventually.

"Whoa? What.. what happened?" Miyuki asked as she looked around.

"The flashlight ran out of batteries." Rukawa said as he tapped the flashlight lightly. "I hope you have a keen eyesight we have to continue walking. Hold on to me so you won't get lost." Rukawa said. Miyuki nodded nervously as she held on Rukawa's shirt and continued walking. Suddenly, an eerie sound was heard from the bushes.

Oh, I can take this any longer! Where's that stupid finish line? Miyuki thought. She clutched Rukawa's shirt tightly as they went down the path. It's getting darker already. 

Then, from a nearby bush, a huge figure came out and growled at the. Miyuki was surprised as she let go of Rukawa's shirt and ran away as fast as she can. _For heaven's sake! _She thought as she ran.

"Hey, wait! You might get lost!" Rukawa called out as he looked around. _Man! It's just a silly dog for heaven's sake! Oh great.. now I lost her.. Where did she go? _Rukawa thought as he looked around.

After a while, he went back to the path and leaned on one of the trees. _Why does she have to run off like that! Everyone's going to kill me when they find out, especially Mitsui!_ _She doesn't look so calm now like the times I saw her back then.. _Rukawa thought. He stood up when he saw a light approaching him. As they went closer, he figured that it was Miyagi and Ayako.

"Rukawa? What are you doing here in the middle of the path? Where's Miyu-chan?" Miyagi asked as he looked around.

Rukawa shrugged as he looked down. "That what I want to know. I don't know where she is.." he muttered. Miyagi grabbed his collar and pushed him at the tree. "You don't know where she is? Darn! What did you do? Leave her behind?" Miyagi snapped.

"Hold it! We better find her rather that beating Rukawa-kun up!" Ayako said in a worried tone. They ran back to the campsite and told Coach Anzai about Miyuki.

"We better find her before it gets any later." Coach Anzai said. Mitsui stayed away from Rukawa as much as possible. He dragged Miyagi and Kogure walked into the forest.

"Miyuki will not be very happy if I lay even a finger at Rukawa! I just have to stay away from him for a while." Mitsui said as she clenched his fist and sighed.

"Where do you think she may have ran off to?" Miyagi asked in a worried tone. Kogure looked around the almost similar trees and squinted his eyes. "Who knows? She's going to have a hard time finding her way out of here. The best thing we can do is to look patiently." Kogure replied.

While they were walking, they saw a nearby cottage. "Hey! Someone's there by the cottage!" Miyagi exclaimed as he pointed to the place. The three ran towards the house and approached the person by the porch.

"Err.. excuse me…." Kogure muttered. The person is a girl. She was completely startled but regained her composure after a while.

"Good grief! Gomen nasai, I'm really having the jitters lately. What can I do for you?" the girl asked sweetly. She has brown shoulder-length hair and deep blue eyes. She has her laptop with her and a bunch of books beside her.

Kogure was silent for a while. He then asked. "Excuse me, but have you seen a girl pass by here a while ago?"

"Hmm.. I've been here for a while now, but I haven't seen any girl…" the girl replied. Kogure looked around as he sighed. He shifted his eyes to the person who just got out from the cottage. His eyes widened when he saw the guy.

"Ka… Kaname?" Kogure stammered. The guy looked surprised when he saw Kogure.

"Kiminobu.. what are you doing here?" Kaname asked. Everyone looked surprised and looked at the two boys.

"Uhm, Kaname-kun.. Do you know them?" the girl asked. Kaname scratched his head and smiled. "Uhm, yeah.. He's the guy I've been telling you. He's my friend, Kiminobu." Kaname said with a smile.

The girl nodded as she smiled and bowed down. "Well, konbawa Kiminobu-san. Watashi wa Wataru Kaori-chan" Kaori said in a sweet tone. Kogure and the others bowed down too.

Kogure turned to Kaname. "Sorry to barge in here. We were just passing by. We're on a camp-out." Kogure said as he laughed.

"I see, you're still very loyal to basketball." Kaname said with a grin.

Kogure's face turned grim as he prepared himself. "Uhm, sorry for changing the topic, but I am so glad that we ran to each other! You see, Miyu-chan's out there… She's missing! You have to help us find her." Kimonobu said in a grim tone.

Kaname stayed silent for a while as he sighed. "Don't tell me you're not going to look for her, she's your sister for crying out loud!" Kogure added.

"Who said that I'm not going to look for her? It's been years since I last looked for her." Kaname said. Kogure smiled and waited for Kaname who went inside the cottage to get some flashlights and batteries.

_Kaname.. So he's Miyuki's brother… _Mitsui thought.

Kaori stood up and walked towards Kaname and took a deep breath. "I'm going with you, Kaname-kun…" she said in a low tone.

"It's dangerous out there, Kaori… You have to stay here.." Kaname replied. Kaori shook her head and looked at him with insisting eyes. Kaname took a deep breath and held her hand. "Okay, just stay close to me and don't wander off." Kaname said. They went out to the woods to find Miyuki.

Meanwhile, Miyuki was walking slowly in the woods. _Oh, man! Everything looks the same here! It's pretty dark too… And I can't see any stars at all. How am I going to get out of here? Darn! I easily get surprised nowadays.. I shouldn't have ran off.. _Miyuki thought.

She turned around when she heard the eerie rustle of the bushes. She took small steps backward and ran off again. _Great! What a way to get lost, Miyuki!_ She thought as she looked back while running. She fell into one of the deep traps on the ground and strained her ankle.

It took her a while to regain her strength and stood up and looked up the huge hole. _Oh great! Now I fell into a trap! _Miyuki thought. She went limp and fell to the ground. _Darn! This is beginning to look hopeless! _She thought as she looked up the hole again.

She sat for a while and thought carefully. _Should I wait for someone to find me? No.. I just can't wait for someone! I have to find a way out.. Or toss out something to let someone know that I'm here in this stupid hole! _Miyuki thought. She tried to climb up, but failed because of her sprained ankle. She tried calling out for someone. After a number of trials, she sat down again and sighed. _I don't want to die in a hole! _Miyuki thought as she groaned.

Meanwhile, Miyagi and Mitsui are calling out Miyuki's name as they looked around. Kogure, Kaname and Kaori were walking ahead of them.

"Of all the places for her to get lost! How are we going to find her…" Kaname said as he looked for trails on the ground.

"Have faith, Kaname.. She's smart.. She must have left some kind of a trail or something.." Kaori replied. Kaname sighed as he smiled at Kaori.

"Say, Kaname.. Is Kaori-san your girlfriend?" Kogure asked. "Yeah, she is.." Kaname replied as he chuckled. Kaori blushed and looked away.

"You guys look cute together!" Kogure teased as he patted Kaname on the back. Kaname smiled as he looked down on the tracks again.

"This is way bad.. She's all alone in this forest.." Mitsui said as he looked at the ground. He noticed a small piece of paper lying on the ground, which looked somewhat familiar.

"Hey, isn't this the map that Coach Anzai gave to all of us?" Mitsui said as he carefully looked at the paper.

"Yeah, it's the same thing!" Miyagi exclaimed as he took out his own copy and compared it to the one Mitsui was holding. Kaname, Kaori and Kogure approached the two and looked at the pieces of papers.

"Miyu-chan is somewhere near here. We have to call out as loud as we can so that she'll know we're nearby." Miyagi said. They all nodded and began to call out for Miyuki.

Meanwhile, Miyuki sat silently on the ground. _For goodness sake! I've been here like forever! _She heard a faint voice from the surface. She gathered all her strength and stood up. The voice was getting louder and louder. Miyuki whispered a silent prayer of thanksgiving and called out for help at the top of her lungs. _They can't hear me… Darn! Do something Miyuki!_ She looked around for something useful to her. She felt something on her pocket. _Oh yeah, of course! This will work out just fine now that everything's in darkness!_ She fished a camera out of her pocket. She hasn't loaded it with film but she replaced the batteries this morning. She aimed at the hole and pressed the capture button. _Please! Let them notice the flash! _Miyuki prayed as she kept on pressing the flash button.

Kaori saw something at the corner of her eye. _Am I hallucinating or did I just saw something flash on the ground?_ She thought as shivers went down her spine. She let go of Kaname's hand for a while and looked at where she saw the flash.

"Kaori, is there something wrong?" Kaname asked as he walked towards Kaori. He also saw something flashing on the ground continuously.

"Something's out there! We better take a closer look.." Kaori said as she went nearer to where the flash came from. The rest followed her behind. She aimed the flashlight on the ground and saw a huge hole. The flashes of light came from that same hole.

"Hey! Anyone in there?" Mitsui called out. Miyuki took a breath of relief and called out. "Anyone! I'm stuck in this stupid hole! Get me out of here!"

"Miyuki? Is that you?" Mitsui called out again. "Yeah! Now get me out of here for heaven's sake!" Miyuki called out at the top of her lungs.

She tried her best to remain standing. But her legs grew numb and she fell down on the ground again. _What in the world? It felt like something bit me! _Miyuki thought as she looked at her feet. She saw a bite mark and a snake crawled towards her. She grew pale as tears welled up in her eyes. _No.. I.. I was… bitten.. by that thing! _She didn't move for a while until the snake crawled into a small hole. She was shivering, as her leg grew numb. Her tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at the bite mark.

"Miyuki! Grab my hand!" Someone called out. She looked up as she tried to see whom the person is. His arm was stretched out as someone was aiming the flashlight into the hole.

"Am I seeing the right thing? Is my sister crying?" the guy said. Miyuki was surprised when she saw that the guy was none other than her brother, Kaname. "Hey, are you going to just stand here until I fall in there too?" Kaname added as he smiled. Miyuki blinked as she used all her strength to stand and grab Kaname's hand. Kaname pulled Miyuki up and held her close.

"What.. what are you doing here?" Miyuki muttered in between sobs. Kaname wrapped his arms around Miyuki as he whispered. "Gomen nasai.. I haven't been a good brother to you."

"He.. Help me… brother.." Miyuki muttered as she held his brother tighter. Kaname looked at her as he shifted his eyes on Miyuki's leg and saw the bite mark. "Darn.. We have to get her back to the campsite! She's been bitten by a snake!" Kaname called out.

Upon hearing this, Mitsui quickly approached Miyuki and looked at her leg. He took out a handkerchief and tied it on Miyuki's leg as tightly as he could. Kaname carried his sister in his arms and followed the trail back at the campsite and took her to a clinic.

Mitsui and Miyagi waited outside the clinic. Mitsui punched the wall before slumping on a chair.

"Take it easy, man… You're not even supposed to lay a finger on anyone, and that includes Rukawa.." Miyagi said as he looked at Mitsui.

"After all that happened because of that stupid kitsune! You'd expect me to just forget everything? No way, Miyagi!" Mitsui snapped as he clenched his fist.

"You're not going to do anything." Kogure said in a stern voice as he went out of the clinic with Kaname and Kaori. "Miyuki and me will not allow that sort of thing. Rukawa didn't mean for this to happen.." He added.

Mitsui sighed as he looked at Kogure. "How's Miyuki?" he asked.

"She's okay. Good thing the snake that bit her doesn't have that much venom in its fangs. She'll be okay in a couple of days." Kogure replied as he watched Mitsui's expression carefully.

Kaname looked sternly at Mitsui. Kogure noticed Kaname's expression and patted him on the back.

"I sense a brother's jealousy around here…" Kogure said.

"Who are they? I'm too busy looking for Miyuki that I forgot to ask for their names." Kaname asked.

"Who among them interests you the most?" Kogure asked as he smiled. Kaname lowered his head and replied, "The one you talked with a while ago."

"I figured you'd ask. He's Hisashi Mitsui, one of the starting players of our team. He's a good friend of Miyu-chan…" Kogure replied.

"I see…" Kamame nodded as he glanced at Mitsui again. "What position does he play?"

"He's the shooting guard. And he's really great at it." Kogure replied. Kaname looked away as he felt the cold breeze. Kaori looked at Kaname as if she was reading his thoughts.

"Kaname-kun… I hope you're not planning to do what I think you're thinking…" Kaori said in a worried tone. Kaname shook his head. "No, Kaori.. At least not now…", he replied. Kaori made a face as he looked away.

"Sorry to tease you… But you're not that sport inclined.." Kaori said as she rolled her eyes. Kogure looked at Kaname as he took a deep breath.

"Who even told you that I'm thinking about basketball?" Kaname replied as she looked at Kaori.

Kaname approached Mitsui and Miyagi as Kaori went inside the clinic. "Can I hang-out with you guys for a while?"

Miyagi nodded as he stood up. Kaname leaned on the wall and looked at Mitsui.

"So, you're Miyu-chan's brother." Miyagi said in a low tone. Kaname nodded as he looked up the stars. "Although, I've never been a good brother to her."

"Nah, I know you didn't actually leave her…" Mitsui said as he stared at the ground. Kaname looked at him as he sighed.

"Kiminobu told you guys the whole story?" Kaname asked.

Mitsui shook as he replied, "Nope.. Kogure only told a part of the story, Miyu-chan told me the rest."

Miyagi looked at Mitsui and Kaname as he leaned on one of the streetlamp. Kaname stood up and felt the cold breeze. Mitsui glanced at Kaname for a while. _Kaname Kanazumi, who would have thought that I'll meet him this soon.._ Mitsui thought.

"Hey, thanks for keeping an eye for my sister for a while.." Kaname said. Miyagi smiled as he looked at Mitsui.

Early the next morning, Mitsui went back to the campsite. He left Miyagi who was sleeping in the clinic. He happened to meet Haruko on his way.

"Where's Rukawa?" Mitsui said in a stern voice.

Haruko looked at Mitsui with fearful eyes. "He's not awake yet…" she said. Mitsui walked away as he clenched his fist.

"Sempai! Don't hurt him.. He didn't mean to get Miyu-chan in trouble!" Haruko called out, but Mitsui continued on his way without looking back. Haruko looked at him worriedly. _Oh no… This is sure trouble. I have to let Miyu-chan know about this…_ she thought as she ran towards the clinic.

Meanwhile, Miyagi woke up and stretched his arms. He looked around for Mitsui. _Whoa? Where did he go in such an early time? _Miyagi thought. Kogure walked into the room and greeted Miyagi.

"Where did he go? It's still very early." Kogure asked as Miyagi nooded.

"I have this weird feeling.." Miyagi said in a worried tone. He glanced at Miyuki at the other end of the room. Kaname slept beside Miyuki's bed as Kaori slept beside the window.

Then, out of nowhere, Haruko ran into the room. She stopped for a while to catch her breath.

"Haruko? What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?" Miyagi said as he looked at Haruko who was catching her breath.

"Mi.. Mit.. Mitsui-se.. sempai! You have to stop Mitsui-sempai!" Haruko blurted out.

"What! Darn that stupid guyI told him to stay away from Rukawa!" Miyagi said as he stood up.

"What's up with sempai?" someone said. Haruko looked around and saw Miyuki who was sitting on her bed. "Haruko-chan, take me to the campsite.."

"That would be a big no, Miyu-chan!" Miyagi said. Miyuki shook her head as Haruko approached her.

"Are you sure you can make it?" Haruko asked. "I don't think this…."

"Please! I have to stop sempai! Rukawa-kun didn't mean for any of these to happen." Miyuki said as she stood up with the help of Haruko. Miyagi still looked confused but he helped Haruko in assisting Miyuki.

Meanwhile, at the campsite, Mitsui looked around the campsite and saw Rukawa. He approached him and grabbed him by the collar.

"Darn you! Have you got any idea about what almost happed to Miyuki because of you? You're so careless!" Mitsui snapped as he pushed him to the wall.

"Fine, do whatever you like to me…" Rukawa said in a cold tone. Mitsui clenched his fist. As he was about to punch Rukawa, someone called out his name.

"Yamete, sempai!" Miyuki called out at the top of her lungs. Mitsui was frozen for a moment. He held Rukawa by the collar as he sighed and pushed him aside.

"You're not supposed to be here…" Mitsui whispered without looking at Miyuki. Miyuki looked at him with a worried expression. "Sempai…."

Mitsui walked away with his hand on his pocket. "Gomen nasai, Miyu-chan…" he said as he walked away.

Miyuki looked at Mitsui who was walking away from him. She was very weak as she tried to stand straight with Haruko beside her. Rukawa stood up and motioned beside Miyuki.

"Better run after him…" Rukawa said as he looked at Miyuki.

Miyuki shook her head as she looked at Rukawa in the eye. "I'm not going to talk to him… After what happened just now.. He needs to realize his mistake!"

Rukawa stood in front of Miyuki. He looked at her. "Just go, will you.. Even thought you say that sort of thing, it's not going to be easy for you."

Miyuki looked away. "Fine.. Let's go, Haruko-chan.. We're going after sempai.." she whispered to Haruko. As they walked away, Rukawa watched them from afar. _I can't have her.. I'll never have her.. Miyuki Kanazumi…_

Mitsui stayed at his cabin for a while. He shared that cabin with his group mates. But now he's alone meditating at what he just did to Rukawa a while ago. As he was thinking, someone knocked at the door. He ignored the continuous knocking as he lay on his bed. The door opened slowly as Miyuki entered the cabin.

"Haruko-chan.. Can you please wait outside, I need to talk to sempai for a while." Miyuki whispered to Haruko. Miyuki walked beside Mitsui's bed and kept silent for a while.

"You're not supposed to be walking around in your condition.. Better go back to the clinic.. By the way, how did you figure out that I was here?" Mitsui said as he sat up and looked out the window.

"Sasaoka told me you went in here… Sempai…I understand what you're feeling right now… Actually, I'm so glad that you did that for me… But, Rukawa-kun didn't mean for that to happen. He was even trying to keep me unruffled. I was the one who ran off.. I lost my compose… So, it's my fault." Miyuki explained. "Please don't be angry at him…" she whispered.

"The ice prince did that?" Mitsui replied as he looked at Miyuki. Miyuki nodded as she looked away. Mitsui enclosed his arms around Miyuki as he whispered softly, "Gomen, Miyuki.. I just don't want to lose you.. Is that enough reason for you?"

Miyuki's eyes widened as she felt herself at ease. Mitsui turned red as he let go of Miyuki and looked away. "Gomen.. I.. I was.. not aware…" Mitsui stammered.

Miyuki shook her head as she smiled. "It's okay, sempai… Surprisingly, I find safe haven when I'm with you.."

Mitsui smiled as he stood up. "Come on, I'll take you back to the clinic." Mitsui walked Haruko and Miyuki to the clinic.

After a couple of days, the team went back to Kanagawa. While on their way, Miyuki stared outside the window. She kept on thinking about Mitsui and Rukawa. She was still mystified about the two of them. Mitsui was her sempai, and he is always there when she needed him. He was like a brother to her and she secretly liked Mitsui for that. _But I only like him because he's nice to me, nothing more… How about Kaede Rukawa? He's a really baffling character. He's an ice prince, but he.. actually cared for me? And he talked to me… strange… _

Ayako noticed Miyuki's peculiar silence. She shook her head as she tugged Miyuki lightly. "Hey, are you okay? You're way too silent…"

Miyuki smiled at Ayako. "Gomen ne, Aya-chan… I was just thinking about something… Whould you mind if I share it to you?" she said to Ayako.

Ayako shook her head as she prepared to listen. (A/N: Miyuki is sharing her thoughts about Mitsui and Rukawa).

"So, Rukawa talked to you… He hardly talks to anyone… I only talk to him about important matters." Ayako replied.

"Yeah, but I don't think he's a total ice prince… Maybe he only talks to someone whom he's at ease.." Miyuki said as Ayako shrugged.

When they reached Kanagawa, Miyuki went straight home and let herself fall on her bed. She sighed as she looked at the ceiling. _I actually enjoyed the trip! That's new… And my misapprehension with my brother is finally settled! I'm actually.. happy… _


	8. Chapter 8: Autumn

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk and it's original storyline… They belong to Inoue-sensei… But if I did own SD, Miyagi will be mine/sinister laugh/ ahehe…**

**Oh man.. I'm not doing very well in this story… I'm losing hope… Gomen nasai…**

**Chapter 8**

The months passed by rapidly for Miyuki. It has only been 4 months but it seems like it has been almost a year. Miyuki looked out the window and glanced at the trees outside. _It's autumn already.. Time sure pass by so fast.. Back then, my life seems like it's hanging on a stagnant string.. _ She went downstairs to eat breakfast and prepared herself for school. She walked out of her house and went to school.

"Hey! Wait up!" someone called out behind her. She looked back and saw Miyagi running towards her. She greeted him with a faint smile. The two walked together to school.

"So, it's been a while since we walked together, Miyu-chan.." Miyagi said as they walked. Miyuki nodded and looked up the sky.

"Yeah… I didn't even realize that it's autumn already." Miyuki replied as she looked up the sky. "You know, autumn is one of my favorite seasons…"

Miyagi laughed as he looked up the sky too. "I never thought you're a season fanatic, Miyu-chan… What's your other favorite season? "

"I'm not a season fanatic.. Is there even such a word?" Miyuki replied as she giggled. "Anou, winter is also my favorite!"

"By the way, school will be out by next week or so…And then, we will be competing again for the winter games! And, oh yeah.. my birthday's coming up too..." Miyagi said. Miyuki looked at him and smiled.

"Really, what are your plans for your birthday then?" Miyuki asked. Miyagi shrugged as he tried to think.

"To be honest, I have no plans yet.." Miyagi said as he laughed. Miyuki giggled as they walked inside the school.

"Don't worry.. You'll get by.." Miyuki replied. They separated ways and went to her locker. She saw Mitsui by her locker. She smiled at him as she approached him.

"Ohayou, Miyuki.." Mitsui greeted with a smile. The two went to the school garden and sat under the Sakura tree.

"So, looks like we gave up the gym for a hang-out.." Mitsui said as he chuckled. Miyuki giggled as she nodded.

"Ryota-kun birthday is coming up.. What do you think should I give him?" Miyuki asked. Mitsui shrugged his shoulders and began to think.

"Knowing that guy, I'd say he never wanted a lot of gifts. He just wants his friends to be with him on that very day. However, I was thinking of letting him celebrate his birthday at our rest house." Mitsui said.

"So, you have a rest house.. That's real nice!" Miyuki exclaimed as she smiled.

"Yeah.. that brown-haired curly guy likes to swim a lot. I think that would work out just fine." He said as he lay on his back and looked at the falling leaves of the Sakura trees.

"Should I tell it to him later?" Miyuki asked.

Mitsui shook his head. "I'll tell him.." The two were silent for a while. Mitsui broke the silence as he tried to think. "Hey.. Don't you think it's a bit weird that we're going on a swimming trip on a season—"

"Subarashiki!" Miyuki interrupted as she stood up and watched the falling leaves from the Sakura trees. The cool breeze sweeps them away as the leaves seem to change color from brown to red and then yellow. Miyuki stood still and watched the scene with amazement.

Mitsui looked at Miyuki as a faint smile appeared on his face. _She's just like a kid…_ He chucked and approached Miyuki. He looked at the scene himself. "I didn't know you like autumn, Miyuki…" Mitsui muttered.

Miyuki giggled as she dragged her foot on the small pile of dried leaves on the ground. "Yeah… Somehow, the colors make me feel at ease. And, oh yeah.. I like winter too!" She replied with eagerness. Mitsui gazed at her while she drags her foot on the pile of leaves. "Somehow, winter reminds me of my mother..."

The bell rang and the two went on their classrooms. Miyuki greeted Ayako as she seated beside her. Mr. Mikami went inside the classroom and called everyone's attention. He then announced the test results of the class. His subject matter is Algebra. He called the students in alphabetical order. He paused for a while when he came across Miyuki name.

"Kanazumi-san, please stand up for a while." Mr. Mikami said. Miyuki stood up and looked at the teacher.He was silent for a while as he carefully looked at his records and smiled.

"Anou, sensei… Why do you want to speak with me?" Miyuki muttered and looked at the teacher innocently.

"Well, nothing much… I just want to congratulate you… Well done, Kanazumi-san. You perfected the exams. You are indeed a brilliant student. Keep up the good work" Mr. Mikami said as he smiled. Everyone clapped their hands as Miyuki bowed down and sat down. After a few hours, the class was dismissed. Ayako, Miyagi and Miyuki went out of the classroom together and went to the gym.

"Hey, I actually got good grades! If I keep this up, I'd be retained in the team!" Miyagi said as he laughed out. Ayako smiled as she looked at Miyuki.

"Anou, Miyu-chan, you didn't perfect your Social Studies and Music.. I think the test is way too easy for you.." Ayako said.

Miyuki looked down at the ground. "I don't want to perfect all the exams… And I'm not that fond of Social Studies anyway…" she replied. Miyagi and Ayako looked at her with a confused look. But they understood what she was trying to say and changed the topic.

"Mitsui said he wants me to celebrate my birthday at his rest house. He's such a nice guy… Can you guys come too? Onegaishimas…" Miyagi said as he clasped his hands together.

"Sure, Ryota-kun.. We will be looking forward for that.." Miyuki said as she smiled. Miyagi smiled as they walked together towards the gym.

Miyuki saw Mitsui sitting at one of the benches. She smiled as she approached him. "Konnichiwa, sempai!"

"I told Miyagi about my plan. He really liked the idea… Even though it's kind of cold in autumn" Mitsui said. Miyuki giggled as she seated beside him.

"Can you ask your brother to join us? Miyagi's birthday is on Friday, right?" Mitsui said.

"Huh? My brother? Well, I have to call him first." Miyuki replied. _He already knew my brother… Hmm…_

"So, I guess we'll be seeing each other again on Miyagi's birthday." Mitsui said. Akagi called everyone for formation. Mitsui smiled at Miyuki as he headed towards the formation.

**A few days later….**

Miyuki woke up and arranged her things. It is Miyagi's birthday. They agreed to meet by the train station at 9:00 a.m. She checked her things and walked out of the house. She promised that she'd pick up Ayako before going to the train station. After dropping by at Ayako's house, they walked together to the train station. They saw Miyagi and Mitsui waiting for them at the entrance.

"Sorry guys, did you wait for a long time?" Ayako said as she smiled.

Miyagi shook his head as he blushed a little. "No, it's okay Aya-chan!"

Mitsui chuckled when he saw Miyagi's expression. He shifted his eyes on Miyuki. Her expression is as sunny as the day itself. She smiled sweetly as she greeted Miyagi a happy birthday. They took a train and went off at the last stop.

"Oni-chan said that they'd be waiting here at the entrance." Miyuki said as she looked around. She saw Kaname and Kaori at the entrance. She ran towards them and greeted them.

"Hey there… Happy birthday! Thanks for inviting us…" Kaori said cheerfully.

"Of course, Kaori-chan.. So, Let's go now shall we?" Miyagi replied as they headed toward Mitsui's rest house.

"Oh, this place is absolutely gorgeous…" Miyuki said in awe as she looked around.

"I figured you guys might like it here, especially Miyuki and Ayako… My mom spends a lot of time here before going abroad.. She practically lives here." Mitsui said as he guided them to the house.

"Come on… Let's have some fun!" Miyagi exclaimed as he changed his clothes and jumped into the pool. Ayako and Kaori followed him.

Miyuki changed her clothes and went outside. She didn't want to swim yet, so she stayed at the edge of the pool. Mitsui looked at her from afar. _Her expression is as bright as the day today… I'm glad she's okay… _Kaname walked towards Mitsui and glanced at him . The two were silent for a while.

"Why don't you join them?" Kaname asked.

Mitsui shook his head as he smiled. "I'll join them later.. You should join Kaori-san and Miyuki.."

"Speaking of Miyu-chan.. I haven't seen her as cheerful as that for a long time… Kanagawa sure made some excellent changes in her.." Kaname said as he watched his sister smile.

"Yeah.. Even I can't believe that she's actually that cheerful.." Mitsui replied. The two stayed in the porch and watched the others in the pool.

Meanwhile, Miyuki refuses to get into the pool. "Please! I don't know how to swim!" Miyuki pleaded.

Miyagi grabbed Miyuki's leg and pulled her into the pool. "It's not that deep, Miyu-chan! See.." he said as Kaori held Miyuki by the hand.

"See, this is not so bad, isn't it Miyu-chan?" Kaori said. Mitsui and Kaname joined them as they had fun for the rest of the day.

They went inside the house and had dinner. Miyuki, Kaori and Miyuki were busy telling stories as Miyagi, Mitsui and Kaname talked about what they can do after dinner. Kaname was silent for a while. He took a deep breath and called Mitsui.

"Hey, sorry for being so candid… But can I challenge you to a one-on-one match later?" Kaname said bluntly. All of them were silent, even Mitsui. We all know that Mitsui's mind is programmed to think about basketball all the time.

"Okay, I'm in.. Let's just go around the back.. We have a court there…" Mitsui replied.

"I didn't say anything about basketball, Mitsui-san.." Kaname replied. "I was thinking more of, a playstation match? What do you say?" he added.

Mitsui kept silent for a while. He smiled as he replied, "Okay, Count me in.. But what are you planning to do?"

Kaname folded his arms and began to think. "I'm thinking of a dare… Whoever loses will the jump in the pool, naked…" he thought again as he added as he snapped his finger, "And he will stay there for 4 hours straight…"

Everyone was surprised upon hearing Kaname's statement. Kaori shook her head as he approached Kaname.

"Kaname-kun, is that brilliant brain of yours slowly deteriorating? You're insane! No one in this room is willing to see a naked guy jump in a pool! And that includes Aya-chan, Miyu-chan and me!" she exclaimed.

Everyone looked at Mitsui. He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "It's a deal. Shall we start now?"

Everyone looked at the two as they went to the living room. Miyuki followed Mitsui in her gaze. _Oni-chan is practically the game master! Does sempai have a chance against him? _

Kaname and Mitsui started the match. There will be 5 trials and the one with the most number of losses will do the dare. In the end, Kaname won 3-2. Kaname smiled as he stood up. Mitsui stood up and faced Kaname.

"A deal is a deal…" Kaname said. Mitsui nodded as he went outside to the pool. Miyuki and the others followed them.

"You're brother is way too crazy! It's freezing out here.. Besides, what's about to happen is strictly not for minors!" Kaori said to Miyuki. Miyagi and Ayako looked at Kaname and Mitsui at the other side of the pool.

"He's really going to do it…" Miyagi muttered to Ayako. Ayako nodded as she looked at Miyuki who was looking uneasy.

Just when Kaname was about to give the signal, he happened to see Miyuki looking at Mitsui. Kaname thought for a while and took a deep breath. He then approached Mitsui.

"Fine.. I can't let my sister see you like some kind of a lunatic.. Just keep some clothes on and stay in the water for four hours, okay?" Kaname muttered to Mitsui.

Mitsui looked at him with a confused look before jumping in the pool. Miyuki eyes widened as she took a breath of relief. Kaname approached Miyuki and whispered, "I can't let you see him like that.." He walked into the house and left Miyuki and the others standing at the edge of the pool.

"Great! He changed the deal… Your brother is not that bad.." Ayako said as she took a deep breath. Kaori smiled as she gazed into the house. _Kaname-kun you're such a nice guy…_

Miyagi went at the edge of the pool and stooped down. "You're really going to complete the dare? It's freezing out here!" he said as he looked at Mitsui.

"Yeah… Do me a favor, since you said yourself that it's getting really cold out here, take Miyuki inside okay? And that goes with Ayako and Kaori-san too.." Mitsui said as he gazed at Miyuki who was also looking at him. Miyuki looked away after realizing that Mitsui caught her looking at her.

"Whatever you say, man.. Don't get sick! It's my birthday for goodness sake.." Miyagi said as he stood up and walked away.

Everyone went inside the house, except Miyuki. But Miyagi pulled her into the house. Mitsui saw Miyagi reasoning out to Miyuki before entering the house. _Good job, Miyagi…_

A couple of hours later, Kaname went out to the terrace. He looked at Mitsui who is still in the pool. Miyuki happened to pass by the terrace and saw Kaname. She glanced at the clock and took a deep breath. _It's been two hours already. I think 4 hours is too atrocious for him.. And to think that it's getting really late! _She went to her room and took her jacket.

"Where are you going?" Ayako asked, as she was about to walk out the door.

"I'm going to convince him to get off that pool.. The temperature is below 0 degrees and it's unhealthy for a person to stay outside half-naked!" Miyuki replied.

"That won't be that easy.. You see, he's not that easy to convince.. And besides, it's a deal and that guy doesn't back out on a deal.." Ayako said with a worried look.

Miyuki shook her head as she reached for the door. "I don't care, Aya-chan.. I'm going out there.. I'm going to drag him inside if it is the last thing I do!" she said as she went out and closed the door.

Kaori shook her head as she looked at Ayako. "She's just like Kaname-kun.. You can't deny that they share the same DNA…" she said as Ayako giggled.

Miyuki went outside and walked towards the pool. She seated at the edge and looked at Mitsui.

"Sempai, I think it's about time for you to get off the pool.. The temperature can be very unhealthy for humans you know!" Miyuki said in a worried tone.

Mitsui shook his head as he shivered and tried to keep warm "But you're shivering so hard! I don't want you to catch pneumonia or some respiratory disease of some sort.." Miyuki replied as she pouted her lower lip. She held a jacket and towel in her arms. "Please, come with me into the house."

"Miyuki, I can't.. A dare is a dare and I have to face the consequence because I lost… I need to complete the dare.. If I back out, I'd be ashamed of telling someone how I feel… Because I can't even live up to a simple consequence." Mitsui replied.

The words echoed in Miyuki's head. She smiled faintly and kept silent for a while. "Well then, I'll stay here to keep you company." She said as she clasped her jacket tighter.

Mitsui looked at her with a concerned look. "Get inside before you catch cold…" he said in a low tone.

"Iie, I'm not leaving unless you come with me!" Miyuki insisted as she shook her head.

Mitsui kept silent for a while. _Okay, I need to outsmart her again... _Mitsui thought. He then folded his arms and looked at Miyuki. "Have you forgotten that this is my house and I can do anything I like and that includes staying here!" he insisted sarcastically.

Miyuki looked around the pool. "Get inside or else I'll call oni-chan to call off the dare… He's the one who told you to stay there in the first place… If he haven't told you to do it then you may not have thought of it anyway.."

_Well now… she's getting harder and harder to outsmart these days… _"Get inside or else I'll be mad at you.." Mitsui replied. Miyuki pouted her lower lip. The last time she saw Mitsui get angry, she was practically, overwhelmed. She stood up and turned her back on him.

"Fine.. But I'll be waiting until the dare is over. Aya-chan is right.. I bet even onichan cannot convince you to get out of there…" Miyuki replied as she walked away. Mitsui gazed at her as she went inside the house.

Meanwhile, Miyagi went out of his room to get something to drink. While on his way downstairs, he saw Miyuki sitting by the stairway as she stared up at the clock. Miyagi stood beside her, but her eyes are still fixed on the clock. Miyagi looked at the clock and examined it. _What? Is there something wrong about the clock?_ He snapped a finger in front of Miyuki. Miyuki woke up from some kind of a trance and looked at Miyagi.

"Are you being hypnotized by the pendulum of the clock?" Miyagi said sarcastically. Miyuki frowned as she sighed.

"Sempai refuses to get off the pool.. He's practically looking for sickness!" Miyuki pouted as she stared at the clock again.

"Why don't you ask your brother to call off the dare? I'm sure he'll do it…" Miyagi replied.

Miyuki shook her head as she sighed. "Onichan tried to talk him out of it, but he still refused…"

Miyagi shook his head as he chuckled. "When that guy gets into a dare, no one can talk him out of it… Better get used to that." He said.

"It's all onichan's fault… We'd probably be sleeping at this hour if not because of that stupid dare!" Miyuki groaned.

Miyagi stood up as he looked at Miyuki. "I think I understand why your brother did that. You'll understand soon." He said as he walked outside.

_Hmm.. Understand what? Is it a guy thing of some sort? Hmm.. Does that mean that every guy's mind is synchronized? _Miyuki wondered as she stared at the clock again.

Meanwhile, Miyagi walked into the living room. He saw Kaname by the couch and is in deep thought. He approached him and seated on one of the chairs. The two were silent for a while. Miyagi broke the silence as he called Kaname's attention.

"Hey, Can I ask you something? What's your reason why you thought of that dare?" Miyagi asked.

Kaname looked at him and smiled. "Well, I know this might sound like a weird reason.. But I have to see if he's worthy of my sister…." He said as he sighed.

Miyagi smiled as he stretched his arms. "Well, that figures.. It's not weird…But why see if he's worthy of Miyu-chan?"

Kaname looked at him with a confused look. "I don't get it… I thought he like Miyu-chan… Doesn't he like her? Or, is he courting her of some sort?"

Miyagi looked at him and chuckled. "So, you think so too… Well, as much as he tries to deny it, I know he likes Miyu-chan… I can sense it… So, looks like your brother's instinct is acting up on him, is it?" Miyagi said. Kaname smiled as he nodded. They looked at the clock and sighed. There are still 15 minutes left. "Oh yeah… and Mitsui's not courting Miyu-chan… he's too shy to admit!" Miyagi added.

_15 minutes left.. I hope Mitsui-san's still okay out there or Miyu-chan will kill me… _Kaname thought.

Meanwhile, Miyuki went inside their room. Kaori and Ayako are still awake in their beds. Kaori is busy typing a message for her bestfriend and Ayako is reading a magazine.

"Err.. Why are you still awake you guys?" Miyuki asked as she went inside the room.

"We couldn't sleep too, Miyu-chan.. We're waiting for Kaname-kun to call off the dare.." Kaori replied as she looked at the clock. "10 more minutes…"

Miyuki got her jacket as she opened the door. "I'm going to get him inside now.. Thanks for waiting you guys…" Miyuki said as she smiled and walked out of the room.

She put on her jacket and went out to the pool. She smiled as soon as she saw Mitsui and approached him.

"Sempai, its' officially 12 am.. Now can you please get out of there?" she whispered as she stooped down on the edge of the pool.

"You really waited until the dare is over? I'm impressed…" Mitsui said as he smiled. He got off the pool as he shivered.

"Baka…" Miyuki muttered as she threw a towel and jacket to Mitsui. She smiled as she looked away. "Don't do such a stupid thing ever again, got that?"

Mitsui smiled as he nodded. They went inside the house and stayed at the living room. Mitsui is silent as Miyuki went to the kitchen. After a while, Kaname entered the room. He looked at Mitsui for a while before sitting on a chair in front of him. Mitsui looked at Kaname for a while. His raven-colored hair falls into his glasses. No one can deny that he's actually Miyuki brother.

Kaname broke the silence as he looked at Mitsui. "Can you admit something to me?" he asked. Mitsui shrugged as he looked at him.

"Do you like my sister?" Kaname asked as he smiled. He watched Mitsui's expression carefully. Mitsui smiled as he stared at the fireplace. "What will you do if I say I do like her? Are going to send me down that pool again?" he replied.

Kaname shrugged as he looked away. "I'm not threatening you okay… I just want to know… I have the right to know…" he replied as he chuckled.

Mitsui smiled as he looked away. "What can I say? I realized that I really have feelings for her after what happened last camp-out…" he replied as he sighed.

Kaname sighed and lay on the couch and looked up the ceiling. "Well, just don't do anything foolish to her.. got that?" he said. Mitsui smiled as he nodded. "You have my word." He said to Kaname.

Miyuki entered the room and seated in front of Mitsui. She looked at Kaname with a confused look. Mitsui smiled as he looked at Miyuki.

"The guy's probably very sleepy. He talked to me a while ago before falling asleep." Mitsui said. Miyuki smiled as she placed her jacket on her sleeping brother.

"Oyazumi, onichan.." she whispered to her brother. She turned to Mitsui and smiled. Mitsui is staring at the fireplace.

Mitsui caught Miyuki looking at him. "What are you looking at? Is there something in my face?" he said as he touched his face.

Miyuki giggled as she shook her head. "Don't mind me…" she said as she yawned. Mitsui smiled as he pulled her arm.

"Come on.. It is way past the genius' bedtime.." he said as he pulled Miyuki upstairs to her room. "Oyazumi nasai, Miyuki…" he whispered as he went into the other room. Miyuki smiled as she opened the door. She saw Kaori asleep beside her laptop and so is Ayako. She smiled as she walked to her bed and looked out the window. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Early the next morning, Ayako woke up and looked around the room. She saw Miyuki sleeping peacefully and is curled up under her blanket. She smiled as she approached her. _The girl must have stayed up late last night waiting for Mitsui-kun_. She went outside the house and went to the garden. The fresh morning breeze brushed to her face as her hair swayed with it. _I wonder if she still likes Ryota-kun… She's not talking about him these past few days.. I wonder what's up… Should I tell her that I like Ryota-kun too? I have no right to be jealous or anything… I'm not Ryota's girlfriend or anything special… But.. It seems unfair for me… _Her thinking was cut short when someone stood beside her and tugged her lightly.

"Ohayou gozaimas, Aya-chan!" Miyagi greeted as he smiled.

Ayako's eyes widened as she blushed lightly and looked away. "O..Ohayou, Ryota-kun.. Don't creep up on me like that! It scared me half to death!" she exclaimed as she tried not to look at him. _Oh.. that's cool… I was thinking about him and he suddenly pops up beside me… _

"Gomen nasai, Aya-chan…" Miyagi apologized as he laughed. Ayako looked at him and smiled. The two were silent for a while. Ayako tried to keep herself from blushing in front of Miyagi.

"Err, I.. I.. have something… to tell… you.." Ayako muttered.

Miyagi shifted his eyes on Ayako who was trailing her shoes on the ground. "Hmm.. What is it, Aya-chan?"

Ayako shut her eyes as she began to think frantically. _Oh God! Should I tell him.. As in right now? But, what about Miyu-chan? Uhm.. What should I do? _

"Err, Aya-chan? What is it that you want to tell me?" Miyagi interrupted as he shook Ayako.

"Err, Uhm.. Tell… you? Err… you see…" Ayako stammered she played with her fingers. _Oh God.. What should I say? How I wish I would just faint right here! Wait. I got it! _"Err, you see, Ryota-kun… I.. I.. forgot to greet you!" she blurted out.

Miyagi raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ayako. "You forgot to greet me?" he asked as he began to think.

"Uh.. yeah! You see, I forgot to greet you yesterday, so Happy Birthday Ryota-kun!" Ayako said cheerfully as she smiled. _Please please.. I hope he buys it… _

Miyagi laughed as he sat on the ground. Ayako frowned as she sat on the ground too. "What is so funny?" she asked.

Miyagi caught his breath as he tried to speak. "Nothing, Aya-chan.. Anyway, thanks for greeting me..." Miyagi said as he smiled. Ayako shifted her gaze on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Kaori woke up and looked at her watch. _9:30 am. Okay, I overslept.. I'm supposed to be doing the cooking today, right? And I forgot to turn off my laptop. _She looked at her laptop and smiled as she saw the large number of messages from her best friend piled in her inbox. _Okay, so I did fell asleep eventually… _she thought as she laughed. She went downstairs and happened to pass by the living room and saw Kaname sleeping on the couch. _What? Why sleep down here when he can sleep upstairs? Sometimes I can't comprehend that guy.. _She thought as she smiled. She went to the kitchen to fix breakfast. Ayako and Miyagi entered through the kitchen door and greeted her cheerfully.

"Ohayou, Kaori-chan! Is Miyu-chan awake?" Ayako asked as she stood next to Kaori.

"Not yet, Aya-chan.. she's probably drained out after staying late last night.." Kaori replied.

Meanwhile, Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked at the rays of sunlight coming from outside. She stood up and looked around the room. _Hmm.. Aya-chan and Kaori-chan must be awake already. _She thought as she yawned. She changed her clothes and went out of her room. She looked at the next-door and sighed. _I wonder if sempai is awake… _She thought. But she shook her head as she went downstairs and saw Ayako and Kaori at the kitchen.

"Ohayou minna-san! Gomen, I overslept…" Miyuki said as she laughed.

"It's okay.. We understand. The guys are outside playing basketball.." Ayako said as she smiled.

Miyuki's eyes widened as she looked at Ayako. "Eh?.. the guys? So that means, Ryota-kun, my brother… and sempai?" she asked.

"Yeah.. Mitsui-kun woke up about half an hour ago. The three decided to have a friendly game of basketball while waiting for breakfast." Kaori said as she giggled. "Kaname-kun suddenly gained an interest in basketball.."

Miyuki smiled as she went to the court and saw Miyagi and Mitsui playing a one-on-one match as Kaname stayed at the bench and watched the two as they play. Miyuki smiled as she approached her brother and seated next to him.

"Mitsui-kun is quick in recovering his stamina.. It seems like nothing happened last night.." Kaname said as he looked at the two boys.

Miyuki sighed as she looked down. "You have no idea, onichan.." she said. _If you met him a long time ago, you wouldn't say such thing! Oh… Silly me…_

"Ohayou Ryota-kun, and sempai!" she called out as she smiled.

Miyagi stopped for a while and waved at Miyuki. Mitsui smiled at Miyuki as they continued playing. She looked at Miyagi for a while. _Which reminds me.. I forgot to give him a gift.. Wait.. What if I try to convince Aya-chan to admit her feelings.. I bet Ryota-kun would like that… Right?_ Miyuki thought as she looked at Miyagi sadly. _Yeah.. I know he'll be very happy… I mean.. what matters is his happiness.. not mine… __Yeah, I'll ask Kaori-san and Mitsui-kun to help me…. Great idea! We still have a day left before we go back to Kanagawa. _

**Oh man! I hope I didn't screw up.. Please send me a review so that I can know your insights, suggestions and blah blah… /gg reviews are accepted.. /heh **


	9. Chapter 9: Ryota and Ayako

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Slam Dunk, it's characters, contents and storyline… They belong to Inoue-sensei… If I did, then Miyagi will be mine /sinister laugh/ heheh…

_**Santeira- Thank you for the review… It helped me a lot... Thanks again.. Hope you like this chapter too…**_

**The previous chapter, this chapter and chapter 10 are part of my Autumn chapters… hehehe.. It's nothing special, it's just that autumn is my favorite season… Heheh…I dedicate the Autumn chapters to my good online sister, autumnchloe aka blissful sin.. heheh… **

NOTE: I know the characters are getting confusing since a lot of Ocs have appeared.. heheh.. Gomen nasai.. I just want to clear things out… Sorry if there are a bunch of Ocs… They're related to Miyuki… 2 more Ocs coming up…

Kaname Kanazumi- Miyuki's older brother

Kaori Wataru- Kaname's girlfriend

**Chapter 9**

Miyuki was silent for a while and stared out into space. _I think there is no better time than today… So, it's all settled… _"Sempai, I need to have a word with you please…" Miyuki called out.

Mitsui looked at Miyagi and patted him on the shoulder. "I need to go, Miyuki's calling…" he said.

"Yeah, I know you can't resist…" Miyagi teased as he practiced some shots.

Mitsui approached Miyuki by the bench. He looked at her expression as he sighed. _Okay, this girl is again thinking of something.. I wonder what's new…._ "Err.. Miyuki.. What was that you wanted to talk about?" he asked as he fixed his eyes on Miyuki.

"I need to talk to you and Kaori-san about some important matters.. But I think it's about time for breakfast so we'll talk afterwards by the terrace okay?" Miyuki said as she smiled. "It's about a certain plan up my brain cells…"

_Brain cells? She really makes things sound complicated…. _Mitsui thought. He nodded as he looked around. They walked towards the house to have breakfast. While eating, Mitsui looked at Miyuki who was very quiet and is thinking deeply about something. _Hmm… Whatever it is that she wants to talk about, it must be very important for her…. _

"Miyu-chan, you're pretty quiet right now.. Is there something bothering you?" Ayako asked.

"Eh? Uhh… nothing Aya-chan… Don't mind me… I just don't have anything to say, that's all…" Miyuki replied with a nervous chuckle.

After breakfast, everyone left the kitchen except Kaori and Ayako. Miyuki and Mitsui waited for Kaori by the living room.

"Uhh… Miyu-chan.. Is Kaori-san involved in what you're about to say?" Mitsui asked. Miyuki nodded as she looked around. Seeing Ayako and Kaori leave the kitchen. Miyuki quickly ran towards them and grabbed Kaori's hand.

"Uhh.. Aya-chan… I need to borrow Kaori-chan for a minute…" Miyuki said nervously and rapidly.

Ayako looked at her for a while and nodded. "Thanks Aya-chan.. You're the best!" Miyuki said rapidly again as she quickly pulled Kaori to the living room.

"Whoa? What's up with her…." Ayako asked herself as she sighed and went to her room.

Mitsui sat by the window as he waited for Miyuki to come back. After a while, Miyuki came back dragging Kaori along. She grabbed Mitsui's hand and dragged him along as well. She stopped by the terrace and took a deep breath. Kaori and Mitsui looked at each other with confused looks. They looked at Miyuki again and waited for her to say something.

"Uhh… Miyu-chan.. What is it that you want to say.." Kaori asked as she looked at Miyuki.

Miyuki was silent for a while. She then looked at Kaori seriously and pleaded, "Please, I need you to narrate to me how my brother confessed to you his feelings." Miyuki said plainly.

"What! What for?" Kaori exclaimed as she blushed. Miyuki clasped her hands together and began to plead harder.

"Please, Kaori-chan… I need to know… It's for something I have to do later.. Please please!"

Kaori sighed as she lowered her head. "It's pretty embarrassing you know.. But okay, I'll tell you.. Just don't tell Kaname-kun I told you okay!" Kaori muttered. Miyuki smiled as she seated on the floor.

"Hey, why is Mitsui-san here… It adds to my embarrassment…" Kaori muttered as she darted her eyes in Mitsui.

"Yeah, she has a point.. I'm not supposed to be here!" Mitsui replied. "At least I should have brought Miyagi—:

"No… Don't fetch Ryota-kun! Just be quiet. I need you and Kaori-san for a plan, okay?" Miyuki interrupted.

"What? You're going to use us for your scheme?" Mitsui asked sarcastically. Miyuki darted her eyes on Mitsui. Mitsui kept quiet as he looked at Kaori. "So, shall we start then?" he asked. Kaori took a deep breath and narrated the story.

"Okay, I am a freshman in Tokyo University back then. I met your brother a few weeks after school opened. We were both in the same club, Ecology club to be exact. I was not as presentable as this before. Back then, I wore this big glasses and my hair gets real messy. I carry a bunch of books in my hand all the time. I never trusted lockers before. Okay, so when I saw him, let's say that I had a little crush on him… just a teeny-weeny affection for him.. Then, we were assigned to work on something together… "

Flashback 

Okay, so we were in the computer room that time. I don't even know why I'm in that place anyway. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be at home a long time ago.. But no, Kaname has to drag me in here to keep him company! What am I supposed to do in there anyway? He's not even talking to me… Oh! The things I do for him! And yet.. He's very kawaii…. As I was staring at him, he got a very thick book beside him and handed it over to me.

"Eh? What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked sheepishly. He kept his eyes on the monitor as he typed in full speed.

"_Dictate to me the marked pages.." he said as he looked at the monitor._

_Oh, now he's treating me as his private secretary? The hell with him! But still.. I just whined a little and began dictating the words to him. After a while, my voice is getting tired dictating every word in the book. I glared at him for a while._

"_Hey, why am I even doing this? I'm not your private secretary you know.. And an unpaid private secretary to be more precise! Why did you even chose me to keep you company? A lot of girls were practically rushing towards you, but why silly old me!" I exclaimed as I closed the book. The why questions.. I'm expecting a genius-like answer from him.. I just hope I'll be able to counter his answers…_

_He just stopped typing for a while… He lowered his head as he smiled.. "Gomen nasai, Wataru-san.. Nothing special.. I just want to hear your voice while I work… Somehow it alleviates my stress…" he muttered._

_He.. wants to hear.. my voice? Did those words just came out from his mouth? From the genius himself? Oh wow.. That's new.. And I'm so happy! And because I'm so crazy for him.. I began dictating again.. What a way to go.._

_About a half hour later, we finally finished what we are doing. Finally I can now go home, sleep all I want and probably do something worthwhile with my life… I was practically flying to the door, oh sweet joy! _

"_Hey, wait.." Kaname called out. I stopped by the door without looking at him. Now what? I looked at him as he smiled.. So cute! _

"_Thanks for helping me out.. Gomen nasai.. I believe I took some of your precious time…" Kaname said as he bowed. _

_I believe my smile almost reached my ears! I'm so weird sometimes… "nothing much…" I blurted out. Hell, why did I even say that? _

"_Eh? What do you mean nothing much?" Kaname asked. My eyes widened as I thought of something to say._

"_Yeah! Nothing much.. I have this trivia for you.. did you know that saying nothing much is a subconscious mind's way of saying you know… 143.." I said. I can see a very weird expression on his face._

"_Uhh.. 143? What's a subconscious mind got to do with saying one hundred forty three?" he answered sheepishly. I rolled my eyes as I sighed. Just as I thought.. He's only philosophically smart.. and yet he looks like an innocent kid! _

"_For a genius, you sure are senseless sometimes…" I muttered as I giggled._

"_Huh? You think I'm senseless? Since when?" Kaname asked as he scratched his head. He sighed as he kept silent for a while. "Okay, I have a query for you and I need a solid answer from you, got that?" Kaname asked with a stern face. "Do you like me or not?" _

_I looked at him wide-eyed. I believe I'm practically blushing in front of him. "Of course…. Not.." I answered with uncertainty. Wow, he is sure blunt with that question.. What made him think that way anyway?_

"_Oh.. so you don't.. That's too bad.. I think I have this feeling that I like you.. uhh.. something like that.." Kaname stammered as he tried to look at me._

"So.. what now? Does that mean that you don't like me anymore because I don't like you?" I asked with a disappointed tone.

"_Well, of course…. Not…" Kaname answered as he smiled. "I still like you… maybe even more than that…" he added._

_-End of Flashback-_

Kaori took a deep breath as she looked at Miyuki. "There.. I narrated what you told me.. Now, can you please tell me why the hell do I need to that for?" Kaori said as she sighed.

Miyuki smiled as she thought of something. "Well, you see.. We're all aware that Ryota-kun likes Aya-chan, right? You see… Aya-chan likes Ryota-kun too.. But she doesn't want to say.. I don't know why.. So I'm thinking of setting up a plan.. What do you say? Can you guys help out?" Miyuki asked as she looked at Mitsui and Kaori.

"Wow! Hontouni deska? Great! Miyagi is waiting for so long. He deserves his chance on Aya-chan… I'm in!" Mitsui exclaimed as he raised his hand. Kaori giggled and raised her hand too. The three nodded in unison as they began to create their plan. Afterwards, the three separated ways for the rest of the day. They planned to do it tomorrow, before they leave for Kanagawa.

Early the next morning, Ayako woke up and went out to the garden. This would be their last day in that rest house. At least, she wanted to picture out everything in that rest house in her mind. _Another perfect opportunity put to waste… _She thought as she frowned. The one to be blamed is herself. She always has doubts in her. And it is her weakness. As she looked around, she caught sight of Mitsui by the other side of the garden. She followed him into the stream. She lost sight of Mitsui for a while, but she later saw him under a tree near the stream. After a while, Miyuki arrived and smiled sweetly at Mitsui. _What? Miyu-chan… and sempai? Could it be? _She walked closer to them, still hiding behind the bushes.

"Sempai.. we have to do our best.. Just act normal, okay?" Miyuki whispered to Mitsui as she smiled. Mitsui blushed a little as he looked away.

Ayako decided to come out of the bushes as she slowly stepped out. Miyuki and Mitsui looked at Ayako as she looked at them, confused.

"Aya-chan.. you're up early… ohayo gozaimas!" Miyuki greeted as she smiled. Mitsui bowed down and smiled at Ayako as well.

"Miyu-chan… Is it me… or you're spending a lot of time with sempai. Is there something going on?" Ayako said as she played with her fingers.

Miyuki giggled as she approached Ayako. "Yeah.. you see… he's my… boyfriend now!" Miyuki exclaimed as she pulled Mitsui beside her as she laughed nervously. She kicked Mitsui's shin lightly and continued giggling.

"Eh! Since when… Miyu-chan? Why didn't… you tell me?" Ayako asked, still looking confused.

"Uhh… since… when?" Miyuki stammered as she tried to think. _What… should I say? I can't say after the camp-out… When… when?_

"We we're together since… the other day!" Mitsui exclaimed as he pulled Miyuki beside him and gave out a nervous chuckle. "Back at the pool! Yeah.. you see.." Mitsui added as he stammered. "I told her everything.. How I like her so much.. And that I've never been so caught up with a girl… I told her my feelings back then… I just got to spill everything to her somehow…" he continued in a more serious tone.

Miyuki's eyes widened as she looked up to Mitsui. She was blushing slightly and looked at Mitsui's expression. He was nervous.. she can tell… And yet, she can see that he is serious. _Is he saying made up stuff? He seems so… serious…_

"So, there's your answer, Aya-chan…" Mitsui added as he looked down. Miyuki smiled faintly as she looked at Ayako. "Gomen ne, Aya-chan… I forgot to tell you yesterday…" Miyuki muttered as she approached Ayako and embraced her.

"Aya-chan… Ryota-kun is for you…no matter how much the world is against you; you'd still end up with the one for you… You see, I sort of.. found out that you like Ryota-kun…" Miyuki whispered to Ayako.

_She… found out? Oh no… When did she found out? But.. why isn't she sad… I've been keeping myself from getting jealous.. and here she is.. telling me that she found out… And still, she's not angry? _Ayako thought. She looked at Miyuki and tried to speak out. "Why aren't you angry? Don't you hate me… I didn't tell you that I had feelings for Ryota-kun… And I was feeling jealous deep inside and all… I'm such a bad friend."

Miyuki simply shook her head and looked at Ayako. "You know, when I heard you at the gym back then.. It dawned on me that you might have hated me since I told you.. and so, I tried to give way… Because.. I don't have the right to hate you or to get angry.. You have that right…"

Ayako's tears fell down as she wiped them away. Miyuki faced her and smiled. "Go and tell him…He must be around here somewhere… ne?" Seeing the look of hesitation on Ayako's face, she smiled again and said, "Aya-chan.. Genki-desu (I'm fine)… I'm with sempai…" Ayako wiped her tears and nodded as Miyuki gave way for her. She watched Ayako walk away to find Miyagi. _That's it Aya-chan.. tell him… I'll be okay… _

"So, looks like the plan worked out… thanks to Kaori-chan's brilliant mind…" Mitsui muttered as he stood beside Miyuki. Miyuki nodded and smiled faintly.

"Ne, sempai…you acted very good a while ago… It seems like she really fell for our act!" Miyuki said as she looked at Mitsui and smiled.

Mitsui blushed a little and looked away. "Yeah.. I guess I did…"_ Well.. thank heaven for this act… I finally let out all I wanted to say to her in a way that she didn't notice.. But… _

Mitsui's thinking was interrupted as Miyuki pulled his arm. "We have to see what happens, sempai! Let's go…" Miyuki said with enthusiasm as they followed Ayako. _All I said a while ago.. is the whole truth.. Miyuki…_ Mitsui thought.

"Hey… does this mean the only thing keeping her from telling Miyagi is.. you?" Mitsui asked as they walked by the stream.

Miyuki nodded as they turned around. "Judging Aya-chan's mindset.. I figured it was me that's been keeping her from telling all along…"

Meanwhile, Ayako walked around by the stream for a while. Miyuki said that Miyagi might be around here somewhere. _Oh.. how am I going to say this to him… I might stammer in front of him and make a complete idiot out of myself… _she thought as she looked around. _This is it… If I don't tell, Miyu-chan might do some other way for him to find out… She might use some of her dastardly schemes for me! It's even more embarrassing if Ryota finds that out from Miyu-chan… _ She looked around, desperately trying to find Miyagi. She stopped under one of the trees and leaned at it for a while.

"For heaven's sake.. Why am I even rushing things out? I can tell him back at Kanagawa.. or later before we leave… right?" Ayako said to herself as she sighed.

"Aya-chan…" a familiar voice called from behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned around and saw Miyagi.

"What are you doing out here all alone? I thought you're with Miyu-chan… Kaori-chan said that you went here with Miyu-chan" Miyagi asked as he smiled.

_What? Kaori-chan? She's into this set-up too! I should have know… So, they really used their skills to set tings up! Argh! They owe me tons of explanation later! _"Err.. uhh.. I kind of.. followed Mitsui out here… Did you know that Miyu-chan and sempai are… you know? In a relationship?" Ayako stammered as she played with her fingers.

"Nani! Shiri masen deshita!" Miyagi exclaimed as Ayako nodded. "I can't believe it… He got a girlfriend first!" he added.

Ayako raised and eyebrow and looked sternly at Miyagi. Miyagi gave up a nervous chuckle as he shielded himself from Ayako's fan. "Waaah! Hontouni gomen nasai… Aya-chan!" he called out as Ayako chased him with her oh-so-reliable fan.

Ayako sighed and leaned back at the tree. "You're a very crazy kid aren't you?" she said to Miyagi as she smiled. Miyagi laughed as he scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Miyuki and Mitsui were sneaking up behind Ayako and Miyagi. They were doing their best to keep quiet while they were sneaking closer to them

"This is pathetic.. we look like stalkers!" Miyuki groaned as Mitsui covered up her mouth with his hand. "If you want to see what's going to happen, we must do this.." Mitsui said as he hid behind a tree about a meter away.

The leaves were falling continuously to the ground as the wind blew them away. Ayako looked at Miyagi for a while as she lowered her head. She is blushing so much, but she can't let Miyagi see it. The two were silent for a while. She looked at Miyagi who was looking by the stream. She has to tell him, right now.

"Ryota-kun… I have something very important to tell you…" Ayako muttered as she lowered her head.

Miyagi looked at her and waited for her to say something. "What is it, Aya-chan?" he asked.

Ayako closed her eyes and waited for the words to come out of her mouth. "I.. I.. Li—" Ayako's sentence was cut short when they heard a tree branch snap by the bushes. Miyagi and Ayako looked by the bushes and exchanged glances.

"Oh darn! Was that us?" Mitsui whispered to Miyuki as they slowly stepped backward. Miyuki nodded, as she kept quiet. They hid behind a tree as Mitsui peeked to see if Miyagi is close by.

"Hmm.. There's nothing here… Oh well, maybe it was just our imagination!" Miyagi said as he ran back to Ayako.

"Yeah… I guess you're right!" Ayako said as she giggled. They laughed heartily together as the leaves began to fall again from the tress as the wind blew again.

"Anou… Aya-chan, you have something to tell me right? What is it?" Miyagi said as he broke off his laughter. Ayako suddenly stopped to catch her breath. She is silent for a while as she sighed continuously.

Ayako then took a deep breath and spilled a few words. "Ryota… You see… I…" Ayako closed her eyes as she depended the words go with the flow. "Ryota, daisuki!"

The wind blew harder as leaves rustled as they were being swept away. The faint sound of the stream can be heard in spite of the rustle of the leaves. Ayako couldn't bear to open her eyes. She clasped her hands tighter as she waited for Miyagi to say something.

The words echoed in Miyagi's head. It took him some time before he can fully comprehend the words. He smiled faintly and stood in front of her. "Are you sure.. Aya-chan?" he whispered to her.

Ayako nodded nervously as she closed her eyes and bowed down her head. "I.. I almost.. lost you.. but… it seems that… I was so lucky having a friend like Miyu-chan.. She convinced me to tell you… I.. I won't lose you again!" she muttered as tears fell down her cheeks.

Ayako felt Miyagi approach her.. Miyagi enfolded his arms around Ayako as he whispered, "Well, it's about time that I'll be able to hold you like this… Arigato.. This is the best birthday gift from you…" Miyagi whispered. "Daisuki, Aya-chan…" _Miyu-chan.. Arigato… _Ayako thought to herself as she leaned on Miyagi.

From where they're hiding (stalking?) Miyuki and Mitsui were celebrating. Miyuki is jumping joyously as she cheered. Mitsui is laughing uncontrollably as he leaned by the tree.

"We did it, sempai! They're together!" Miyuki exclaimed as she giggled and jumped up and down.

"Yeah.. We're so good in doing this!" Mitsui replied as he looked at Miyagi and Ayako again. Miyuki tripped on one of the tree roots and accidentally pushed Mitsui as they both fell down on the ground.

"Oh.. Gomen nasai sempai! Are you hurt somewhere?" Miyuki apologized as she groaned from the pain. Mitsui simply shook his head and smiled.

"Miyu-chan? Mitsui?" someone called out from behind them. They looked up and saw Miyagi and Ayako with confused looks. "What are you doing here? And what's going on?" he added as he pointed his finger on the two. Seeing the position they were in, Mitsui and Miyuki quickly sat up and turned their backs on each other.

"Err.. no… That's not what you're thinking, Ryota-kun.. I.. just tripped… right, sempai?" Miyuki stammered as Mitsui nodded. Both of them were blushing.

"Right… you were looking at us weren't you… Or to be more precise, spying on us…" Ayako said as she raised her eyebrow. Miyuki giggled nervously as she stood up. "Gomen ne, Aya-chan.. I just have to see the results…"

Ayako blushed as she looked away. Miyagi snickered as he looked at Ayako. "She's still quite embarrassed…" he muttered as he smiled.

The four went back to the cottage as they prepared their things. They will be heading back to Kanagawa this evening. Miyuki went to her room and fixed her things. As she took out her things in her bag, she saw her sketchpad in it. She smiled as she took it out and flipped through the pages Tears welled up in her eyes as she closed her sketchpad and embraced it. _It's for the best Miyuki… I'm sure Aya-chan is happy now… and so is Ryota… Isn't that enough reason for you to be happy? _She went out of her room and walked aimlessly towards the terrace. Ayako and Miyagi are talking outside by the terrace. They were holding each other's hand as they talked blissfully. Miyuki looked at them and smiled faintly. They're not aware that Miyuki is around.

You were always gonna be my love  
itsuka dareko to mato koini  
ochitemo  
I'll remember to love  
You taught me how  
you were always gonna be the one  
ima wa mada kanashii love song  
atarashii uta utaerumade

Mitsui went out of her room and saw Miyuki standing near the terrace and looking out blankly. Even though he can't see her face, he knew what she's feeling right now. _Miyuki… what I've said earlier, was no adlib, and especially not acting… Why can't you see? It's hard for me to see you like that… Darn!_

"Kaname told me you like Miyu-chan…" someone said from beside him. He looked and saw Kaori by his side. He smiled faintly and nodded. "Ouch… that's got to hurt real bad…" Kaori added.

"You don't need to rub it in…" Mitsui muttered. He remained silent for a while as he looked at Miyuki. Kaori stared at him for a while.

"I don't understand! Instead of keeping your feelings to yourself, why don't you tell her! After this, she's going to need you the most!" Kaori pouted as he looked at Mitsui sternly.

Mitsui lowered his head and sighed. "If I tell her now, that wouldn't do me any good. She still haven't moved on.. I don't want to be added to her usual worries… I'll tell when the right day comes, okay?" he muttered as he walked away leaving Kaori gazing at him as he walked away. Somehow, Kaori understood what Mitsui meant. She shifted her eyes back at Miyuki.

Miyuki leaned on the wall for a while, but she didn't notice Kaori by the stairway. She took a deep breath and walked closer to the terrace.

"Anou… Konnichiwa! Am I disturbing you guys? We're going back now…" Miyuki said in a cheerful voice. Miyagi and Ayako nodded as they followed Miyuki downstairs.

They arrived at Kanagawa just after sunset. Miyuki walked home with Miyagi. Miyuki was quiet as she stared at the ground while they walked. Miyagi kept looking at her from time to time. He flung his bag on his shoulder and sighed deeply. Somehow, he felt an awkward silence between them that never ensued before. Miyuki looked at Miyagi and smiled.

"Gomen nasai, Ryo-chan… I'm just tired from the trip…" Miyuki said in a low tone.

"Tell me something, Miyu-chan… Are you really with Mitsui right now?"

"Eh? Oh.. that one.. Another gomen nasai again… You see, we set the whole confession thing up. We did a little acting to convince Aya-chan to confess…"

"What! That's all an act! Oh man.. I thought it's for real! Don't tell me you manipulated Aya-chan… or tortured her into telling!"

"Iie! She liked you… but she didn't want to tell… For personal reasons."

They were talking so seriously that they almost passed by their house. Before they separated ways, Miyagi pulled Miyuki's arm and smiled. "Arigatou, Miyu-chan… You're such a nice girl… Thanks for the wonderful birthday gift! Ja!" Miyagi said as he waved at her. Miyuki watched him as he entered his house. She smiled faintly and walked aimlessly to her house. She took a quick shower and let herself fall on her bed.

_**Thanks for getting out of your busy schedule to read this fic of mine… Hehehe.. Please drop me a review on your way out.. heheh.. Take care!**_


	10. Chapter 10: All ends Confused

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Slam Dunk, it's characters and storyline... If I did, then you know already... Miyagi will be mine/heh

_**Santeira- the brain cells effect just popped up somewhere... Courtesy of my seatmate... hehehe... ; Iron Duke- I tld you Aya-chan belongs to Ryota... nothing more... hee...**_

_**To the one who put my story in his/her favorites list... Thank you very much... teary eyed eheheh... Please drop me a review so that I'll know about your insights... Doumo arigotu gozaimas...**_

**Chapter 10**

Mitsui woke up earlier than usual. He lay on his bed and looked at his clock. _7:30… I'm early… If it isn't semester break right now, I would be very late for school. _Mitsui thought as he chuckled. His biological clock reminded him that it's time for breakfast. He took a quick shower and went to a grocery store. He scanned the store for a quick breakfast.

"Mitsui!" Ayako called out with a sunny smile on her face. It's been a couple of weeks since they went back to Kanagawa. Mitsui turned around and smiled at Ayako.

"Well now… What a sight for sore eyes!" Mitsui said sarcastically. Ayako is with Miyagi early in the morning. Miyagi laughed out as Ayako's face turned red.

Mitsui looked around as he tried to smile. "Have you seen Miyuki anywhere?" Mitsui asked.

"Iie… I called her up last night. She said that she'd be busy for the rest of the month." Ayako replied. "I wonder, she locked herself in her house since we went back. But when I called her up, she said that she's okay."

"Sumimasen… I have to check out something over there. Be right back!" Miyagi said as he walked to a nearby music store. Ayako looked at Mitsui worriedly.

"You know, I was very concerned about Miyuki's sudden depression. I thought maybe it's because of Miyagi. I don't know what to do… So, I called her up last night and asked about it. She said that she's fine and that she's happy about her decision. And… as long as Miyagi is happy, then she will be too…" Ayako narrated to Mitsui.

Mitsui sighed as smiled awkwardly. "I better check up on her myself. Who knows what that girl is thinking? I'll drop by later." Mitsui said in a low tone.

Ayako smiled as she patted Mitsui's shoulder. "Well, drop my regards to Miyu-chan then. I think I'll drop by tomorrow.." Ayako replied as she bowed down. She watched Mitsui walk towards the counter. _Mitsui… I'm so happy that you care so much for Miyu-chan. Please, if you don't want to tell her yet, then show it to her… _

Meanwhile, Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She is on the sofa with the remote in her

hand. The T.V. is turned on and her dinner plate is still on the center table. _Oh great. This is the 3rd time that I fell asleep on the couch… this is too unsanitary… _She thought as she turned the T.V. off and picked up her plate. Then, someone knocked at the door. _Eh? Must be the morning paper or something…_ She placed her plate on the kitchen sink and walked towards the door. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door.

"Eh? Sempai? What… brings you here?" Miyuki asked as she stared at Mitsui wide-eyed. Mitsui chuckled at her expression. Miyuki invited her into her house to have tea. Mitsui sat on the couch and waited for Miyuki to come back.

"Gomen nasai, sempai… I'm not expecting someone this early… The house is kind of messy since I'm not myself lately… " Miyuki said as she places the tea on the table and giggled. Mitsui smiled as he took the cup of tea and bowed down.

"My house is an even bigger mess than this…" he replied as he eyed on Miyuki. "You're looking pale… Is something wrong? You are eating properly, right?" Mitsui said as he looked at Miyuki,

Miyuki's eyes widened as she looked away. "Iie… I'm okay… maybe it's lack of sunshine… I haven't been outside for a while now…" Miyuki said as she sipped her tea. Mitsui sighed and looked out the window. He then shifted her eyes on Miyuki and smiled.

"It's probably because you're on Miyagi hibernation or something… If you go outside, you'd see Miyagi… If you walk around town, you'd see Aya-chan…" Mitsui confronted as he put down his cup. Miyuki looked down and stayed silent.

"Aya-chan… Even though she doesn't show it, I knew she was jealous of me back then. She didn't want to say because it would affect out friendship and I think that's so sweet of her. What we did was for the best… And so, I have to face the consequence. I have to stay away from Ryota for a while, to ease my mind a bit…" Miyuki muttered as she put down her cup.

Mitsui sighed as he stood up and grabbed Miyuki by the hand. "Come on… We'll go for a stroll by the bay." He muttered as he pulled Miyuki to the door.

"Whoa! Wait a sec.. Matte!" Miyuki stammered as she struggled to break free from Mitsui's grasp. Mitsui let go of Miyuki and looked at her. The two faced each other and is silent. Miyuki smiled faintly as she looked at Mitsui. "Can you at least wait while I take a quick shower?" she said in almost a whisper. Mitsui looked confused, but soon got the idea as he smiled and nodded. Miyuki ran upstairs and took a quick shower.

About half an hour later, Miyuki and Mitsui walked together to the bayside. They took a stroll by the bay as they talked about what they can think of. Mitsui looked at Miyuki as she some of her stories back when she was a kid. She was smiling so happily as they walked together. _Miyuki… You have no idea… How you give me strength, how happy you make me everyday… How much I always want to be by your side. It's really ironic, how I tend to be courageous with other things… and yet, can be cowardly when it comes to you. _He smiled as he heard Miyuki laugh out. It's been a while since he heard Miyuki's true laughter, not the fake ones. They walked to the park and decided to spend the rest of the morning by the playground.

"Sempai…" Miyuki muttered as she looked at the children by the playground. Mitsui looked at her and waited for her to say something. Miyuki looked at her and smiled. "Arigatou gozaimas! I never had time to go out for a while. This is the best morning I ever had…"

Mitsui blushed and chuckled lightly. They stayed silent for a while as they felt the cool breeze of autumn. Meanwhile, someone is busy watching Mitsui from afar, a teenage boy to be more specific. He lowered his cap and moved closer to get a clearer view. He smiled wickedly and shot a dreadful look at Miyuki. _Don't think for a second that I'll let you get away, Miyuki… Mitsui, it's your entire fault! I'll have my sweet revenge… Just wait._ He shot a last glance and walked away.

Mitsui walked Miyuki home. He then decided to walk home instead of riding the bus. He was walking silently as he stopped by a fork in the pathway. _If I go right, I'll be going downtown and straight home… If I go left, then I'll be walking towards the bay. Hmm, now where should I turn? _He then shrugged his shoulders and decided to turn left. When he reached the bayside, he sat under a tree and watched the leaves fall to the ground. He scooped a handful of dry leaves and tossed them aside. A tall guy approached him. He arranged his cap and stood next to Mitsui. Mitsui looked up and saw someone he didn't want to see for the rest of his life.

"Mitsui… Been a while now…" the guy said sarcastically. Mitsui glared at the guy and stood up facing him.

"You! What are doing here, Ichikawa!" he shot back and punched the trunk of the tree. Ichikawa smiled sheepishly and patted Mitsui on the shoulder. Mitsui glared at him and clenched his fist.

"We are keeping an eye on Miyuki now… I need you to go to the warehouse tomorrow… And don't bring anyone along. We need to settle a long forgotten dispute." Ichikawa said with a weird grin on his face.

"Mitsui chuckled as he answered back sarcastically. "What dispute? Oh yeah… that one! What makes you think I'll just do what you say?" Mitsui said as he folded his arms. Ichikawa chuckled as he took out a bunch of pictures from his shirt pocket and shoved them to Mitsui.

"Well, let's see if that won't change your mind… We've been keeping an eye out for Miyuki these past few days. Some of the pictures are taken this morning. If you don't agree with my proposal, well… We might do something to her other than stalking." He held one picture of Miyuki on his hands and smiled. "We have easy access, I can call someone to take her away at this very moment…"

Mitsui is silent as he shot a disgusted look at Ichikawa. He then lowered his head and gave in to his deal. Ichikawa smiled as he turned his back and walked away. "Keep your hands off her and I'll keep my word!" Mitsui called out. Ichikawa stopped on his tracks. "Of course, Mitsui.. Warehouse 28 1pm… Don't be late!"

Early the next morning, Mitsui lay on his bed thinking about his rendezvous this afternoon. He didn't have much sleep last night since he's worrying too much about Miyuki. He tossed and turned on his bed. Finally, he decided to get up when he saw the time. _12:30… I better go now…_ He took a quick shower and got out of his house. He noticed someone by his gate. He locked the door and looked at the person.

The person is Miyagi. He removed his shades and smiled at Mitsui. "Yo! Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Mitsui is silent for a while. "I'm.. going… somewhere…" he stammered. Miyagi smiled as he leaned on the wall. "It's a really boring day… Mind if I tag along?"

"No!" Mitsui shot back as he looked at Miyagi. He was taken aback and cleared his throat. "Gomen nasai… It's just something very confidential…" he muttered. Miyagi stood up and faced Mitsui and shot him a very concerned look. "You're meeting up with the guy who kidnapped Miyuki aren't you? I overheard your conversation yesterday… I happened to pass by that spot yesterday…"

Mitsui kept his silence as Miyagi folded his arms. "I'm coming with you… I have a bad feeling about this…" Miyagi said in a worried tone. But Mitsui simple shook his head and said, "Thanks, but no thanks… I have to go there alone. The least that you can do for me is to watch Miyuki for me, okay?" Mitsui patted Miyagi on the shoulder and went on his way. Miyagi watched him from afar and shook his head. _I knew I couldn't stop you like that… The best thing to do is to bring along the person involved… _

Meanwhile, Miyuki is busy doing her laundry. She went outside and hanged some of her clothes to dry. Then, she heard a familiar voice calling her. She looked around and saw Miyagi in his backyard. He jumped over the fence and approached Miyuki.

"Miyu-chan! You got to come with me! Mitsui is getting into some brawl again… This time, it's very serious!" Miyagi blurted out as he tried to catch his breath. Miyuki dropped her laundry and stared at him wide-eyed. She followed behind Miyagi. "What the hell is sempai thinking!" Miyuki exclaimed as they walked. Miyagi is silent as they walked.

After a while, Miyagi ran away as he called out. "Just meet me at warehouse 28 okay? I'm getting a weird feeling… Catch up okay?"

Miyuki ran as she looked for the warehouse that Miyagi told her. _Stupid sempai! I told him to stay away form Ichikawa! _She picked up her pace and arrives at the pier. Miyagi approached her and looked around. Miyuki stopped for a while to catch her breath.

"Where are they, Ryota?" Miyuki asked as she looked around. Miyagi scanned the rows of warehouses and squinted his eyes.

"There… that's where he said he'd be going.." Miyagi told Miyuki as he pointed his finger at the last warehouse.

Miyuki ran as fast as she could and looked for the entrance. Miyagi followed her and looked for other access of the warehouse. He then noticed a broken window, large enough for them to get through. He crept to the window and climbed at the pile of boxes.

"Climb up here as soon as I get in, okay? Be careful…" Miyagi said as he squeezed through the window.

Miyuki waited for a while for Miyagi to give her the signal. Moments later, Miyagi poked his head out of the window and signaled her to climb up. Miyuki carefully climbed up the pile of boxes and grabbed Miyagi's arm, which are extended for her. She went through the window and looked down. They were not that far from the floor. Miyagi jumped down and called Miyuki. The two crept to the other room and peeked inside. They heard familiar voices coming from that room. They indeed saw Ichikawa and his gang mates. Mitsui is lying limp on the ground, his head bleeding as he tried to get up.

"Sempai…" Miyuki gasped as she tried to approach him, but Miyagi stopped her.

"We'll be in big trouble if you do… We have to wait for the right time…" Miyagi said as he blocked Miyuki and looked at the scene.

Ichikawa snickered as he looked at Mitsui. "You look so pathetic! Are you really THE famous Hisashi Mitsui?" He snickered as he kicked Mitsui who is lying limp on the floor.

Ichikawa glared at him for a while. He got irritated as he stooped down and grabbed Mitsui by his shirt. Blood is flowing from Mitsui's forehead and looks very battered already. And yet, why didn't he even fight back or even surrender?

"After we're through with you… We'll be off to find Miyuki… We're not finished with her yet…" he muttered as he threw Mitsui aside and hit the nearby box crates.

Miyuki… Mitsui thought. "Darn you! Better kill me first before you can even lay a finger on her!" Mitsui called out as he struggled to get up. Ichikawa glared at him as he approached him. 

"Whatever you say, Mitsui…" Ichikawa muttered as he punched Mitsui on the stomach and fell down. Mitsui struggled to get up and punched Ichikawa in the face. Ichikawa's gang mates were ready to beat up Mitsui, but Ichikawa stopped them.

"Grant me the honor to beat up the great Hisashi Mitsui.." he muttered as he kicked Mitsui around.

_Iie.. It's my fault… sempai… _Miyuki thought as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Ichikawa was hit with a wooden chair at the back and fell down. He turned and saw Miyagi holding a big piece of wood in his hands. Miyagi batted the wood on Ichikawa as hard as he could.

Miyuki ran towards Mitsui who is at the corner of the room. She looked at Mitsui's worsened state as she wiped the blood with her handkerchief.

"Sempai… Are you, okay? Please say something…" Miyuki said as she tapped Mitsui's face. Mitsui looked at Miyuki and smiled faintly. He tried to register Miyuki in his mind, but his eyesight is getting blurry and he is dizzy. "Breathe sempai! Come on!"

Meanwhile, Miyagi tried to take on Ichikawa and his associate. But two on one seems to be unfair for Miyagi since all of them are tall guys. He called out Miyuki as he tried to evade their attacks.

"Miyu-chan! Get Mitsui out of here now!" Miyagi called out.

Miyuki nodded as he tried to support Mitsui's weight. But one of Ichikawa's associates crept behind her and hit her with a wooden block on the head. Miyuki fell hard on the floor with her head spinning. Mitsui groaned as he tried to open his eyes. He saw Miyuki lying beside him on the floor.

"Miyuki…" he whispered as he tried to reach out for her. But someone pulled her up and threw her on the other side of the room. Mitsui tried to get up, but his body is failing. Seeing that Miyuki is being beaten up too, he gathered all his strength to stand up. He walked towards the guy and punched him as hard as he can. They guy fell down but quickly stood up and pushed Mitsui to the wall.

The guy approached him and grabbed him by his shirt. "Say your prayers…" the guy muttered.

"Iie… please.. let sempai go…" Miyuki whispered as tears fell down from her eyes. Then, she heard a sound of broken glass. A group of guys stormed the room and ran after Ichikawa and his friends. Miyuki tried to see who they are even though her head is spinning.

"Ha.. Hanamichi!" Miyagi blurted out as he looked at the new arrivals.

"Charge! Save Micchy and Curly!" A familiar voice called out. After a while, she saw Hanamichi Sakuragi with his friends trailing behind him. Behind them are guys carrying a white flag with a picture of Mitsui on it.

"Micchy boy!" Mitsui's friends called out as they carried their flag and charged behind Sakuragi's gang.

Ichikawa's eyes widened as he ran outside the warehouse with his friends trailing behind him. Sakuragi ran after them with the help of his very fast pace.

"Cowardly toothpick! Come back here!" Sakuragi yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran after Ichikawa. The Mitsui brigade followed behind them.

Miyuki tried her best to sit up straight, but she is weak and battered. Miyagi approached her and helped her get up. One of Mitsui's friends entered the room and carried Mitsui on his back.

"Ryo-chan …" Miyuki whispered to Miyagi as she tried to hold on to him. Miyagi smiled as he looked at Mitsui.

"Now… don't worry… I'm sure Mitsui will be okay." Miyagi whispered to Miyuki as he carried her on his back. Miyuki smiled faintly before passing out. _Mitsui will be okay… As long as you're okay… _Miyagi thought as he looked at Mitsui who is out-cold.

Meanwhile, Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and scanned the room. _Oh my throbbing cranium! Where am I?_ She suddenly remembered what happened before she passed out. "God! Sempai!" she exclaimed as she quickly sat up and looked around.

"Mitsui is not here Miyu-sama…" someone called out from the other end of the room. Miyuki looked around and saw a familiar looking guy standing by the window.

"Where's sempai? Is he okay? What about Sakuragi and Ryo-chan? Are they all okay?" Miyuki asked continuously as she tried to keep herself calm.

"They're fine… Mitsui is in the hospital right now. He's pretty beaten up… Mitsui asked us to bring you here before he passed out." The guys said in a low tone.

"So reska… But, is he okay? Are there any serious injuries or anything? Err.. Wait.. before anything else, can I ask for your name?" Miyuki asked as she lowered her head.

"Oh, right… I'm Kai… I'm one of Mitsui's gang mates before… Nice to meet you Miyu-sama!" Kai said as he bowed down and looked at Miyuki. "Mitsui is really good at choosing girls." He added.

"Eh? Miyu-sama? Girls? Why are you calling me Miyu-sama? I may not look like it, but I'm only 15 you know!" Miyuki exclaimed as she folded her arms. Kai laughed out as he dragged a chair and sat in front of Miyuki.

"Gomen nasai Miyu-sama… It's just that if you're Mitsui's girlfriend, then we're your protectors too…" Kai said as he leaned on the chair.

"Eh? Girl.. friend? Of sempai? Protectors! Iie.. you're mistaken! We're just good friends! And.. I think you're way to exaggerated!" Miyuki exclaimed as she sat up straight and laughed nervously. Kai looked confused and turned his back on Miyuki.

"You.. you're not?" Kai stammered and heard a faint yes from Miyuki. _Oh man! I thought Mitsui already told her… Does that mean he still have no plans of telling her? Oh God! What if she asks why I thought so, I'm sure she will! I'll have to think of something good to tell her… But.. She's a genius, I'll totally screw in front of her and reveal Mitsui's oh-so-great secret in front of her. Oh man! I can already see his reaction! He's going to hang me upside down and feed me to the rats! Oh, poor me!_

Miyuki looked at Kai and wondered why he suddenly turned his back on her. "Anou, Kai-san… Are you okay?" she asked sheepishly.

Kai nodded and faced her. "Gomen nasai for asking such a blunt question… I just thought you were since you're so close to each other and everything… Gomen nasai!" he stammered as she bowed down repeatedly.

"Iie! It's okay… Please, raise your head… It's okay!" Miyuki exclaimed as she tries to stop Kai from apologizing. "Mitsui-sempai is a good guy. That's why I feel at ease with him…" Miyuki smiled as she sat on the couch. Kai nodded in agreement. They talked about Mitsui for the next couple of hours.

Kai decided to go to the hospital with Miyuki. Kai went inside the room first as Miyuki waited for him outside. Inside the room, Kai closed the door behind him. He saw Miyagi, Sakuragi and the rest of his gang mates. "Miyu-chan needs to talk to Mitsui for now… Can you guys wait outside?" Kai said enthusiastically. Miyagi stood up with a smile on his face as he walked out of the room. The rest of the guys followed.

Miyuki sat on a bench outside Mitsui's room. She is busy looking at the view from the window. She then heard Miyagi calling her. She looked back and stood up. All of the guys are out of the room now. Miyagi smiled at Miyuki as he gave way. She entered Mitsui's room and sat beside him. She smiled faintly as she looked at Mitsui. She reached out for him, but hesitated for a while. _Mitsui…_ she whispered. She placed her hand on his forehead as she leaned closer to him.

"Don't do such a stupid thing ever again…" she whispered as she let her head fall onto the bed beside him.

After a while, Mitsui slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He felt someone beside him. His eyes widened as he looked at the girl that looked somewhat familiar. He'll know that girl from practically anywhere. He brushed the girl's hair off her face as he smiled. Miyuki opened her eyes as she smiled at Mitsui.

"What brings you here? Are you okay?" Mitsui said with a concerned look on his face. Miyuki nodded as she smiled faintly at him.

"Anou… you shouldn't rush into fights that you have no match… Look what happened to you!" Miyuki said with a feeling of concern and anger on her face.

Mitsui muttered a faint sorry as he sat up. "Well, I have the right to be angry at you and Miyagi too… Look what happened to you?" he answered back.  
"Don't blame us! If it weren't for Ryo-chan, I wouldn't even know you're into some of your brawls! What are you planning to do back there? Let yourself be beaten up by those guys!" Miyuki scolded with a little tone of anger. Miyuki lowered her head and looked away. Mitsui sat up and looked at Miyuki. He grabbed her swiftly and held her in his arms. Miyuki was surprised at Mitsui's gesture. He held Miyuki closer as he ran his fingers through her hair.  
"Why… Why are you… always the one… who takes away my pain… Why are you always by my side, when I need you the most? Why do you… care so much?" Miyuki whispered under her breath. Mitsui wanted to say what he's keeping from her for a long time. But the words are shut in his mind for fear of losing her. _If I could just ask you something thing… Why can't you see? Why can't you feel… Are you that… insensitive? _Mitsui's unwrapped his arms around Miyuki as he looked away to hide the redness of his face.   
Miyuki stood up and with a blank expression on her face. She simply looked at Mitsui who is spacing out somewhere. "I'll be going now, sempai… Please take care of yourself…" Miyuki muttered as she walked to the door.  
"Matte…" Mitsui called out. Miyuki looked back at Mitsui. Seeing a vague expression on Mitsui's face, Miyuki smiled faintly as she walked out of the door. Mitsui stared at the door as he smiled lightly.   
_What is it? What is that thing that makes her… so special to me…we are very indifferent… But, why do I feel this way? They say, don't throw everything away for the one you love… Unluckily… I'm willing to throw away everything… for her… Miyuki Kanazumi… _


	11. Chapter 11: Winter Nostalgia

**Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk and all things related to this anime! I only own my plot and my OC /heh I don't want to be dragged to court… **

_**Kuya q c Micchy-thanks for the review… It's nice chatting with you… hehehe… ; Santeira-what is that thing that you're talking about? Ermm... I can't remember… Sumimasen! Heheh…  
**_

**Whoa! I forgot to proofread the last chapter… It's full of typographical errors and stuff… Gomen nasai! And the texts are bunched up! What in the world happened! Oh well, I've proofread this so I guess it's okay now… /no1**

**Chapter 11**

It is a very cold and cloudy day. It's been a while since the start of autumn. There are only a few leaves left in the tree branches. Everyone is busy raking away the dried leaves on their back yard and front porch. Everyone is expecting the first snowfall of winter very soon. Mitsui woke up and looked out the window. He smiled as he looked up the sky. _It's going to be winter soon… That's nice… _He went outside and looked around. He got a rake from the tool shed and began raking the leaves from his front porch.

"Mitsui!" Miyagi called out to Mitsui. He is riding on a bike. He maneuvered towards Mitsui and flashed him a big smile. "Doing some raking, eh? That's unusual for you to do… The Mitsui I know would usually call up one of those housecleaners to do the raking…" Miyagi said as he parked his bike by the tree. Mitsui smiled as he looked at the pile of leaves and remembered what Miyuki said to him before..

_Yes… I'm reminiscent of autumn very much! The colors make me feel at ease… And… oh yeah! I'm fond of winter too! _

Miyagi looked at Mitsui as he scratched his head. "Oh yeah… Are you feeling better now? I mean, you just got out from the hospital a week ago, right? If Miyuki finds out about this I'm sure she'll barge in here and send you to bed!" he said sarcastically.

Mitsui chuckled as he placed the pile of leaves on a garbage bag. "Well, as long as she is still not around, I'll clean up… I don't want to be a household slacker forever…" he said with a grin. Miyagi is surprised at Mitsui's statement, but he smiled and nodded his head. _Good for you buddy! It seems Miyuki is slowly influencing you… _After cleaning up the pile of dried leaves, Mitsui sat under a tree and looked at the scenery. Miyagi is busy adjusting the chains of his bike.

"Yo! Why aren't you with Aya-chan now?" Mitsui asked as he watched Miyagi maintain his bike.

"Hmm… she needs to do some cleaning today… And I'm busy running errands for my mom too! I'm just taking a short break…" Miyagi replied as he fixed the chains of his bike. Mitsui nodded as he looked at his hand. _I still can't help but wonder what those words really meant… Why did Miyuki even say that? _

_Why are you…? Always the one… Who takes away my pain? Why are you always by my side? When I need you the most? Why do you… care so much? _

Mitsui lowered his head as he clenched his fist. _How did it happen? She might be happy now… But how sure am I? How sure am I that her smile is one of those fake smiles that she's talking about? _Mitsui's thinking is cut short when Miyagi snapped a finger in front of him. "Hey! I'll be going now… See you!" Miyagi said as he rode on his bike and drove back home. Mitsui smiled as he raised his hand and watched Miyagi. _Hmm.. Maybe a little walk will do me good… And maybe, I'll pass by Miyuki's house… Just to make sure she's okay…_

Meanwhile, Miyuki looked out the window as she sighed. She finished raking the leaves yesterday so she have nothing much to do. She stared up the sky and sighed. _It's been years now… _She went outside and sat on the front porch. _It's been this long…Ever since that day…But still… _

_My experiment will be more imprudent to female genes! And you of all people should know that! I don't care what happens to her, as long as I can prove my presumptions! _

Miyuki scowled at the thought. She lowered her head as she picked up a handful of dry leaves from the ground. "That foolish scientist! I'm never going to forgive him! He'll feel my hatred for perpetuity!" Miyuki said to herself as she crushed the leaves in her hand. The cold breeze blew and swept the crushed leaves from her hand. She sighed as she stood up and is about to get inside the house.

"Yuki-chan…" A voice muttered behind her. She turned around and saw her brother, Kaname. He smiled at Miyuki and approached her.

"Onichan… What brings you here?" Miyuki said as she smiled faintly. "Since when did you call me Yuki-chan?" Miyuki asked.

Kaname smiled sheepishly as he scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess… But, there is one person who calls you by that…" Miyuki looked at his brother. There was only one person who continued calling her Yuki.

_"Ever wondered why you were named Miyuki?" a woman whispered. A 5-year old Miyuki nodded in anticipation as she sat up straight and prepared to listen. The woman looked out the window and watched the snowflakes fall from the sky. She smiled as she took Miyuki in her arms as they watched the snowflakes together. _

_"__When you were born, it was almost the end of winter…The snowfall was not that heavy anymore…That's when I noticed, you were looking out the window and watching the snow fall…" The woman giggled as Miyuki looked at her with her deep green eyes. "You love snow very much ever since you were a kid… That's when we decided to name you Miyuki… And call you Yuki-chan…"_

"Okasan…" Miyuki muttered as she spaced out and tried to remember those days. Kaname nodded as he stood next to his sister. He looked up the sky and watched the clouds. "Really… Onichan… What brings you here?" Miyuki muttered as she looked at her brother.

Kaname took a deep breath and handed Miyuki a letter. Miyuki stared at it for a while before getting the letter. She opened it slowly and read the short message inside while keeping a blank expression on her face. Kaname watched her expression carefully as she read through the whole message.

"Okasan has been sick for quite some time now… She said she wanted to see you so she sent me here to fetch you… " He looked at her sister as he sighed. "I know deep inside that you're not angry at her…"

Miyuki nodded slightly as she held the letter in her hands. "You're right. I don't hate her… I'm just disappointed. She just left me here on my own, just when I needed her the most…" she muttered. "But… In spite of all that, I… want to see her…"

Kaname was surprised at what Miyuki said. He smiled as he took her sister's hand. "Well, fix yourself so that we can visit her today…" Miyuki smiled as she nodded and went inside the house. He stood under a tree as he waited fro his sister. He then saw Mitsui at the other side of the sidewalk. He quickly ran at the other side and called Mitsui.

"Yo! How are you doing?" Kaname greeted as Mitsui faced him. "What brings you around here?"

"Err.. I.. was just passing by.. To check up on Miyuki… you know… she's been locking herself up in her house… I just want to see if she's okay…" Mitsui stammered as he laughed nervously.

Kaname smiled but he tried to keep a serious face. "I suggest you come with us. If you do, it's going to answer all the questions in your head about my imouto." Kaname said as he lowered his head. Mitsui is silent as he tried to think. After a while, Miyuki went out of the house and approached Kaname and Mitsui.

"I'm ready, onichan! Eh? Sempai… what brings you here?" Miyuki asked as she stood in front of Mitsui and Kaname. Mitsui's face turned red as Kaname tried not to snicker. They began walking to the train station.

"Oh… so you invited sempai along… Well, It's okay with me… The more the merrier." Miyuki said as they rode in the train. They're going to get off somewhere in Tokyo. They were silent as the train speeded down the tracks. Mitsui can't help but glance at Miyuki who is looking out the window with traces of wretchedness in her eyes. He sighed as he watched the view outside the train. Kaname snickered lightly as he looked at Miyuki and Mitsui. _Mitsui-san is a nice guy… Although, he's just too slow in giving her hints… _

They got off the train and took a short walk towards the hospital. Miyuki is walking by herself while Kaname and Mitsui walked behind her. Miyuki is walking with her head down and is thinking very deeply. Mitsui sighed as he looked at Kaname. _I wonder why Kaname-san wanted me to come along…_

"Hey… What happened to your mother? Is she that sick or something?" Mitsui asked as he looked at Kaname.

Kaname fixed his glasses as he looked up the sky. "Depression. She became ill because she missed Miyuki so much. Soon, she can't even stand straight and won't talk to me… But it was only recently when she became really weak that she collapsed. Okasan loved Miyuki so much… But my father warned her not to get too attached to Miyuki. But she didn't listen and continued taking care of her. That's when my father became so angry and decided to separate okasan from Miyuki. That's why we left her in Kanagawa…"

After a while, they reached the hospital. Kaname guided Miyuki to her mother's room as Mitsui followed behind her. Kaname stopped in front of the door and looked at Miyuki. He can see that his sister is hesitating to see her mother.

Miyuki lowered her head as she closed her eyes and shook her head lightly. "I… I can't do it… onichan. I… I can't look her in the eye after all those things I said to her… I never even tried to understand her even though she's doing her best to understand me… I always think pessimistic things about her… I can't do this…" she muttered. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Mitsui in front of her.

"You can do it… And I don't think your mother would care about something as petty as your reasons. She said it herself… She wants to see you, and I know you want to…" Mitsui whispered to her as he kept his hand on her shoulder. Miyuki looked at him for a while. She then smiled faintly and walked to the door. Kaname smiled as he opened the door for her.

Miyuki entered the room silently as she looked around. She saw her mother by the hospital bed and is looking out the window. Her mother gazed by the door and saw Miyuki standing next to Kaname with a blank expression on her face. Miyuki looked at her mother for a while as she slowly approached her.

"O.. ka… san…" Miyuki muttered under her breath. After hearing that word, tears welled up in her mother's eyes. She leaned closer as she embraced her mother. Her mother held her in her arms as her tears ran down her cheeks. "Okasan… Gomen nasai…"

"It's been so long, Yuki-chan…" he mother whispered to her as her tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Kaname smiled like he never smiled before. He opened the door and invited Mitsui into the room.

"Well now, what a sight for sore eyes…" Mitsui muttered as he smiled and looked at Miyuki with her mother. Kaname nodded as he patted Mitsui's shoulder. "Come on, I'll introduce you to our mother." Kaname said as he pulled Mitsui.

Miyuki looked back and saw Mitsui and Kaname. She wiped her tears as she stood up and pulled Miyuki beside her. "Ah… Okasan, This is Hisashi Mitsui. He's my sempai!" Miyuki said. Mitsui bowed down and introduced himself.

Kaname and Mitsui decided to eat while Miyuki stayed with her mother. Miyuki opened the curtains and looked outside. Her mother smiled as she held a small rag doll in her hands.

"Yuki-chan… You and Hisashi-kun seems to be at ease with each other…" Minaku said as Miyuki seated beside her.

"Eh? Hai… You see, I owe sempai a lot… He's been so good to me and cares for me when I need someone the most." Miyuki replied as she giggled. "However, he is too nice to me…"

Minaku smiled faintly as he held on the rag doll. "Yuki-chan… I'll be okay, knowing that Hisashi-kun is with you… And it's nice that he cares about you a lot… But, can you bear to leave him when that time comes?"

Miyuki thought for a while. She sighed as she looked out the window. "It's going to be hard for me to leave such a nice sempai… But, I can take it…" she muttered as she held her mother's hand. Minaku smiled at her as he listened to some of Miyuki's stories. _Yuki-chan… You don't have feelings for him, don't you? And you don't even realize that he has one for you…I saw it in his eyes. I'm worried, not only for you but also for him. When that time comes, can he accept your fate?_

Minaku erased that thought from her mind and decided to change the subject. "Yuki-chan, have you heard the news about your father?" she started. Miyuki looked at her blankly. She suddenly stood up and looked outside the window.

"What do I care about him?" Miyuki said blankly. Minaku was used with her snappy reactions when she thinks of his father. "Where is he now? Isn't he supposed to be here with you? Where is he? Is he busy taking plasma samples from one of his deceased patients again?"

Minaku shook her head and clutched her blanket. "Iie… He's in a mental hospital right now. He's been having more and more tantrums lately so we decided to let him stay there for a while." She narrated.

Miyuki squinted her eyes and maintained her blank expression. "Serves him right. It looks like Karma is haunting him. I'd love to see him suffer, just like he made me suffer before…" she muttered as she looked out the window.

Minaku sat up and pulled Miyuki's arm. "Aren't you going to see him for just a while." She asked.

"I won't! He deserves that kind of treatment, because he is really insane! He's using Science as an excuse for his insane experiments!" Miyuki snapped as he glared at Minaku. They were both silent for a while. Miyuki lowered her head as she sat on her chair. "Gomen nasai… I was just enraged…" Minaku smiled faintly at her and held her hand.

"I understand… Do whatever you like… I'll be here to back you up." Minaku said in a low tone. Miyuki smiled faintly as she sighed.

Kaname and Mitsui went back to Minaku's room to fetch Miyuki. They have to go back to Kanagawa before sunset since the train station closes early every autumn and winter. Miyuki hugged her mother and promised that she would visit her again in a couple of days or so. Miyuki went out of the room as Kaname and Mitsui followed behind her.

Just when Mitsui was about to walk out of the room, Minaku called him, He turned around and approached her. Kaname noticed that Mitsui is not behind him so he decided to wait outside with Miyuki.

"Hai.. How may I help you, Minaku-san?" Mitsui said as he approached Minaku. She was silent as he looked at Mitsui. She shifted her eyes by the window and looked at the view.

"Hisashi-kun… Please stay by Yuki-chan's side. Don't leave her… Sooner or later, she's going to need you the most…" Minaku muttered. She shifted her eyes back to Mitsui. "I'm counting on you… If you're truly serious about your feelings with my daughter..."

Mitsui was surprised upon hearing those words from Minaku. They looked at each other for a while. Mitsui smiled faintly as he nodded. He bowed down and walked out of the room. Minaku gazed at him and smiled. _I'm counting on you… You're the one that she needs to be with right now…_

Mitsui looked around and saw Kaname and Miyuki by the stairway. "Gomen ne… Minaku-san called me for a while…" Mitsui said as bowed down. Kaname walked Miyuki and Mitsui by the train station. Miyuki embraced his brother and entered the train. Mitsui patted Kaname's shoulder and followed Miyuki. While on their way, Mitsui and Miyuki were silent. Miyuki looked out at the passing scenery as Mitsui glanced at her for a while. His thinking was cut short when Miyuki tugged his sleeve.

"Arigato sempai! Thanks for being with me when I need you the most!" she exclaimed as she smiled. Mitsui smiled awkwardly as he nodded. After a while, they reached Kanagawa. While they were walking, Miyuki looked up the sky as she walked aimlessly beside Mitsui.

_What did Minaku-san mean by that? Does that mean she's at ease when I'm with Miyuki?_ Mitsui thought as she looked at Miyuki from time to time.

"Sempai… Aren't you lonely living by yourself?" Miyuki asked as she looked at Mitsui.

"Eh? Well… Sometimes, it seems so boring living alone… But I can manage since I can entertain myself with basketball once in a while… You know… Why ask?" Mitsui replied as he chuckled.

"Hmm… Nothing special. It's kind of weird. Back then, I 'm so used being all alone. But now, I feel so happy when I'm with you, Aya-chan and Ryota-chan… Oh! The same goes with Kiminobu-san too!" Miyuki said with enthusiasm. "It seems that… I won't be able to bear the thought of being alone again…"

Mitsui chuckled as he folded his arms. "Well now.. that's good to hear…" he replied.

Miyuki nodded with a smile on her face. After a while, her smile faded and looked at the ground. "You know, back then… It seems that I'm always so sure with my answers. It seems like I know everything… But now, I'm beginning to doubt about my decisions… I wonder what would I feel when that time comes…" she closed her eyes and sighed. "I'd break down eventually…"

Mitsui gazed at her. "I'm glad you're happy right now, but what in the world are you talking about? Are you going somewhere or something?" he asked.

Miyuki kept quiet as she shook her head. "Iie, sempai… Forget I said that… I was just thinking about some bizarre thoughts." She replied as she giggled. They passed by Mitsui's house and yet Mitsui continued walking. "Matte! Sempai… You should go home now. Your house is right here!" Miyuki exclaimed as she turned on her heel but Mitsui grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him.

"Iie… It's late and I can't afford to let you walk all alone out here!" Mitsui shot back as he tightened his grasp. Miyuki got confused, but she smiled and walked beside Mitsui.

As they passed by the park, Miyuki felt something fall in her head. She stopped and looked up in the sky. Mitsui looked back and wondered why Miyuki suddenly stopped. Miyuki saw one snowflake, then another one. Soon, a number of snowflakes fell from the sky. The streetlamps lighted as snow continued to fall from the sky.

"Look sempai! It's snowing!" Miyuki exclaimed as she lifted her palm and waited for snow to fall on it. Mitsui looked up and smiled. Miyuki walked beside him as they both looked up and watched the snow. The people from the nearby stores went out and watched the first snowfall of the year. Mitsui looked at Miyuki and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. While Miyuki is gazing at the snow, she felt someone put a cloth on her head. She looked up and saw Mitsui who is smiling at her. Miyuki smiled as they stood close to each other.

Back at Tokyo, a nurse went inside Minaku's room to check up on her. The nurse looked out the window and smiled. "Kanazumi-san… Look out the window. It's the first snowfall of the year!" she exclaimed. Minaku looked out and smiled. Kaname smiled as he opened the curtains and admired the view.

"Well now… I believe Miyuki is watching this right now, ne okasan?" Kaname muttered as he looked at Minaku. She nodded and took a rag doll from the drawer. The nurse bowed down and exited the room. _At least Yuki-chan is happy while watching the snow this year…I'm sure Hisashi-kun is with her right now. That would make it more special… _

Miyuki and Mitsui decided to go on their way. After a while, they were in front of Miyuki's house. Mitsui walked her to the porch and smiled at her.

"Arigato sempai… Hope we can get together again sometime." Miyuki said as she bowed down. "Oh… come inside and have tea…" she added.

"Well, I can come by here anytime… And with that tea thing, I need to go back now before the snow gets heavy. Oyasumi Miyuki." Mitsui said.

"Hai! Well... Oyasumi sempai!" Miyuki exclaimed. She pulled Mitsui's hand and tiptoed to give him a peck on the cheek. She opened the door and went inside the house. Mitsui stood flabbergasted as he held his cheek. _What was that! Oh… don't be silly Hisashi! It's a peck on the cheek obviously! But why? _He shook his head and walked away. Inside the house, Miyuki is looking at him from the window. She smiled as she closed the curtains.

"Oi! Mitsui!" Miyagi called out as he approached Mitsui. "Where have you been? Are you dating Miyu-chan?" he added as he snickered with a bit of sarcasm.

"Nope… We just went to Tokyo to visit her mom… Nothing special. How about you? Where have you been? You're all dressed up." Mitsui replied as he looked at what Miyagi's wearing.

"Oh… Ayako and me went out for a while…" Miyagi replied. "Well, see you around… I'm going inside now… Ja!" he added as he waved at Mitsui and went inside the house.

Mitsui walked home as fast as he could. He dried himself up as soon as he arrived home and ate his dinner. Afterwards, he lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He touched his cheek and smiled faintly. _Why did she do that? I'm not expecting something like that to happen…_He tried to find the right side of his bed, but to no avail. He sighed as he sat up and looked out the window. The streets were covered with snow already. He sighed as he got up and changed his clothes. He got his coat and scarf and opened the door. A light breeze brushed against his face as he stooped down to wear his boots. He walked against the pile of snow as he wore his mittens.

_Okay… now this is kind of weird… I'm outside in this very snowy night. It's freezing out here, but I just have to get out and walk around a bit… Maybe when I'm done I'll be able to sleep well… _Mitsui decided to walk by the park. There are only a few people who are outside at that time of night. He sighed as he shoved the snow off a bench and sat down.

_Sooner or later, she's going to need you the most… What did Minaku-san mean by that? _Mitsui sighed as he looked around. _It's been so nice having her around… _

Mitsui's thinking was cut short when he heard faint footsteps on the snow. He looked around and wondered who might be walking around at that time of night.

"Anou… Konnichiwa… What are you doing here at this time of night?" A faint voice asked from behind Mitsui. He turned around and saw Miyuki in her winter clothes. She smiled faintly but she blushed and looked away. Probably because of the cold wind brushing in her face.

"I should be the one asking you that question. Your house is a long way from here you know! Not to mention that it's snowing already and it's even more dangerous!" Mitsui exclaimed as he stood up.

Miyuki smiled as she steeped closer to Mitsui. "You are always so concerned, sempai!" she exclaimed as she poked her finger on Mitsui's cheek.

Mitsui was surprised at the way Miyuki is acting. He chuckled as he scratched his head. "Well now! You're way too blissful tonight? What happened to you?" he exclaimed.

"Why… Is it a miracle that I'm like this right now?"

"…."

"Hmm… You're speechless! Oh well, I'm just glad I finally have my Okasan back… And I'm happy because in spite of my well-being I realized there are still friend like you guys who are willing to accept me for who I am…" Miyuki looked up the sky and smiled. "Okasan made me realize that."

"So, what are you planning to do now?"

"Hmm… I have no idea… I guess I'll be more optimistic when it comes to my viewpoint in life…"

Mitsui nodded as he smiled. Miyuki giggled as she watched the snowfall. They were both silent for a while as they stood next to each other. "I think I'll stay here for a while…" Mitsui muttered to Miyuki. They stayed there for a couple of hours.

Early the next morning, Mitsui woke up with a very bad cold. _Oh well, this is what I get for staying out... Achoo! ..side with all those snow! _He went to the next room and looked at the person sleeping on one of the beds. _Oh well, at least I got to convince her to stay for the rest of the night…She will get more than a cold if I let her walk back to her house. It's a good think I managed to drag her here… Literally. I have to carry her on my shoulder! _He smiled as he looked at Miyuki who is sleeping peacefully. He brushed her hair off her face as he went downstairs. After a while, Miyuki followed downstairs.

_-Flashback-_

_ "Sempai! I have to walk home! I can manage, hontouni!" Miyuki exclaimed as she pleaded Mitsui to let her go. Mitsui kept shaking his head as Miyuki continued to plead even harder. Then, Mitsui carried Miyuki on his back and walked as fast as he can._

_"You're staying tonight! That's final! I'll call up Miyagi and tell him you're staying for tonight!" Mitsui replied as he walked at a faster pace._

_"Sempai! Put me down! You don't need to carry me you know!" Miyuki exclaimed as she tightened her grasp on Miyuki's shoulder. She can't afford to fall down in the snow since it's actually freezing already. ---- _

"Eh! Ohayou sempai!" Miyuki greeted as she yawned. "I'll be going now sempai… Thanks for letting me stay here…" She said as she smiled.

"You still look sleepy… Maybe you should go back to sleep…" Mitsui suggested. But Miyuki simple shook her head. "Arigatou sempai… But I really have to go back…"

Mitsui sighed as he walked Miyuki to the door. "Arigatou again sempai! See ya!" Miyuki said as she bowed down and walked down the thick pile of snow. Mitsui followed her in his gaze and smiled.

**I think this chapter is kinda boring… What do you think guys? I'm really sorry… It's just that something is bothering my brain cells… Gomen nasai.**

**Weeee… Now what is that "time" that everyone's talking about! Mitsui doesn't have a clue, and that goes with the rest of Miyuki's friends… Well then, it's going to be revealed in the upcoming chapters…Thanks for reading this! Hehehe.. Please drop a review on your way out... /gg**


	12. Chapter 12: New Year

** Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk… I only own my fanfic and my OC… nyahaha… Please don't sue me… /gg**

_**Kuya q c micchy: I knew it… The last chapter is really slow. I really think so too… I don't know about this onw, though. I've been trying to write a shorter chapter, BUT I CAN'T /wails in a corner/ hehe… I'll try, I'll really try… Ehehe..**_

_**Santeira: It's okay… I've been very busy as well… Not to mention I had a weird sleeping disorder (insomnia) as well… Hehehe… kuya q c micchy knows about that… Hehehe… **_

**Chapter 12**

It has been a month since Mitsui heard from Miyuki. The last time he did, Miyuki called him up and said that she would be spending her New Year with her mom and brother in Tokyo. He paced back and forth in his bedroom. _She won't be back until school starts._ He thought as he sighed. School will start next week. Everyone is going to be busy, especially himself. They are going to practice even harder since the Inter High Tournament is drawing near. They will be away from Kanagawa for a month so he has to do something about his academics. It seems that his grades is not that good, but it's not bad either. He has to be careful not to screw up or else his teacher will abstain him from competing in the Inter High tournament. But he gives less importance to how his short "vacation" away from Kanagawa could affect his studies. He's more worried about what he would feel like when he's away from Miyuki.

_Oh come on! Think of this as practice already Hisashi! If you can't bear this one, what makes you think you wouldn't go insane while in the Inter High?_ He sighed as he leaned on the chair and looked up the ceiling.

"Hisashi…" Hisashi's mother said in a low tone. "Breakfast is ready, come down now…"

Hisashi was somewhat surprised as he nodded. _Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. Mom and dad came home for the New Year get together. I'm so used being alone already…_He sighed as he went downstairs. As he entered the dining room, he saw his father reading the morning paper and his mother setting the table. He greeted them as he seated on a chair beside his father.

"So, how's school going, Hisashi?" his father asked as he sipped his tea.

"It's okay, I guess… It's not good, but it's not bad either…" he replied as he stared at the food in front of him.

"I dropped by your school on our way here. I had a little chat with your homeroom teacher. He said you're prioritizing basketball than your academics. He said your grades are on the decline since you're usually asleep after practice games and the likes."

Mitsui shrugged as he ate his food. "I can manage… You know that basketball is the only thing I'm good at…" he simply replied.

Mitsui's father took a deep breath and let it all out. Mitsui's mother looked at her husband and shook her head lightly. But he just looked away and coughed lightly.

"Hisashi, if you don't do well in your academics this semester, I'll talk to your coach to bail you out of the Inter High Tournament." Mitsui's father said in a stern voice.

Mitsui stopped for a while and looked at his father. "Darn! You of all people should know that the Inter High is the most important match for me! For crying out loud don't take that away from me!" he exclaimed as he suddenly stood up. He glared as his father as his mother tried to stop him.

"I'm doing this for your sake! If your grades can't even pass the standards, then they're going to keep you from entering college! I'm not doing this just because I like it!" his father shot back. "All I'm asking is for you to pass your graduating year. I have to do some drastic measures!"

"Darn those drastic bullshit!" Mitsui stood up and walked out of the room. He climbed back to his room and locked the door. He threw the first thing that he laid his hands on and slumped on the chair. After a while, a soft knock is heard from the door. Mitsui ignored the continuous knocking as he stared out the window. Someone then opened the door.

"Hisashi, we need to have a composed talk with each other." Mitsui's mother said in a calm and soothing voice. Mitsui smirked as he seated beside his mother.

"Look, please understand your father. He just wants the best for you… You have to make sacrifices in order for you to reach something more meaningful…" Mitsui's mother narrated. Mitsui stayed silent as he looked at the floor.

His mother smiled as he faced him. "You are a good basketball player, Hisashi. Your father is aware of that… But you have to understand that you can't play basketball for the rest of your life…You have to organize yourself." She continued.

"Okasan, I can manage. If I screw up then my homeroom teacher will sure bail me out. Don't think that I'm not paying attention to my grades. It's going to keep my away from the Inter High if I flunk." Mitsui said in a low tone. His mother nodded as she smiled. She left Hisashi for a while to think about what happened earlier.

Meanwhile, Miyuki was stirred from her sleep. The rays of sunlight shone in her face from the window. She was sleeping on a chair beside the window. _Hmm… It's spring already. I better get used to the emission of sunlight on my face again…_She looked at her mother who is reading a novel while in bed. "Okasan! Ohayou gozaimas…" she greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, you're awake already?" Minaku replied as she closed the book in her hands. Miyuki nodded with a smile on her face. "Do you want breakfast Yuki-chan? I have some bread and hot chocolate by the table."

Miyuki nodded as she walked towards the table. "Okasan, you're going to be discharged from the hospital today, right? So that means we celebrate New Year at our house right?" she asked as she prepared breakfast. Minaku nodded as she looked out the window. Miyuki stared at the bread and hot chocolate for a while. She simply shook her head and ate breakfast. _I just remembered, Mitsui didn't say anything about his New Year plans. Does that mean he's going to be alone tonight? Hmm… Maybe I ought to visit him… But how am I going to do that when I'm here in Tokyo?_

"Yuki-chan… Do you want to celebrate New Year in Kanagawa?" Minaku said in a soft and soothing voice. Miyuki looked at her mother and examined her expression carefully.

"Okasan, what makes you say that?" Miyuki said a calm voice. Minaku shrugged as she looked out the window. "I want to spend my New Year with you and onichan…"

Minaku smiled as she faced her daughter. "Yuki-chan… I know you want to spend New Year with us… But, I can sense that you want to go back to Kanagawa… Well, it's normal since you've been there for quite a while now." Miyuki is silent as she looked down. "Look, we can work this out. Let's just celebrate New Year in Kanagawa, okay? I'll have my recuperation period there… That way, you'll be with us and with your friends at the same time."

Miyuki's eyes widened as she smiled and hugged her mother. "Hontouni! Arigatou gozaimas okasan!" Miyuki exclaimed as she giggled. Minaku nodded as he looked outside. "Well then, I'll be going back to Kanagawa ahead of you, okasan… I have to make sure my house is presentable for your arrival!" Miyuki added as she arranged her bag and speeded out of the room. "Ja ne okasan! See you later!"

Minaku smiled as she stared at the door for a while. _That's it, Yuki-chan… And I hope you'll forget about that time for now… Demo… What about your friends… How will they live with that fact when they find out? Especially Hisashi-kun. I couldn't even bear to think about that._

Meanwhile, Miyuki hurried back to Kanagawa and did some grocery shopping on her way. _Hmm… If I hurry, I can make some New Year cakes for Aya-chan, Ryo-chan, Kiminobu-san and sempai! Hmm.. I hope I can pull this off.. Okay! Let's start! _Miyuki scurried back to her house and baked fruitcakes. She finished the cakes just after sunset. As she was about to go out, her mother and brother arrived.

"Hmm… where are you going at this time?" Kaname asked with a confused look on his face. Miyuki smiled as she showed him boxes of fruitcakes in a paper bag. "I made one for our New Year celebration too! And I've finished cooking dinner! So, I'll be going to give these to my friends. Ja ne!" Miyuki explained as she bowed to her mother and brother and walked away.

Minaku smiled as she pulled her son inside. "Let's wait for her inside. At least she has friends already whom she can give fruitcakes now, ne?" Minaku said in a soothing voice. Kaname can't help but smile and agree.

_Hmm… I have to finish this as soon as possible. _Miyuki thought as she picked up her pace. She gave the cakes to Kogure, Ayako and Haruko. After she stopped by Haruko's house, she happened to pass by Mitsui's house. _Hmm… I have to give this to him… I wonder If he's alone right now… Maybe I could invite him over to our place…_ She walked towards the front porch and hesitated to ring the doorbell. Taking deep breaths, she rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door. After a while, a woman emerged from the open door. Miyuki was caught off-guard as she looked at the woman for a while.

"Konbawa… How may I help you?" the woman said in a nice and soothing tone. Miyuki is silent for a while.

"Ah… Anou. Konbawa. Is Mitsui-sempai around? I… have something to give to him," Miyuki said as she showed the woman the paper bag. "I'm a friend of his…"

The woman looked confused. But she soon got the idea and smiled sweetly. "Oh, you have something for my son, ne? Why don't you give it to him personally? Come inside… He's in his room right now." Mitsui's mother said as she gave way. Miyuki took small, hesitated steps inside.

_So, that's sempai's mother… So that means, he'll have company for the New Year celebration…_ Miyuki thought with a disappointed look on her face. She sighed as she looked at the floor. After a while, Mitsui came down from the stairs.

"Miyuki? Well, what brings you here? I thought you're in Tokyo…" Mitsui said with a confused look on his face. Miyuki smiled as she stood up.

"Gomen nasai for disturbing you, sempai… You see, I made fruitcakes for the New Year dinner and I was also wondering if you're spending New Year alone. But it seems you're not so, I'll just give this to you…" Miyuki replied as she handed him the paper bag. "I hope you like it… I'm not that good in baking fruitcakes but I tried my best."

Mitsui looked at her for while. He smiled as she took the bag from her hands. "Arigatou… I'm sure going to like this… But, why wonder if I'm alone for the New Year?" Mitsui asked as he eyed on Miyuki whose face turned to a hot pink as soon as she heard the question.

"Err.. Gomen nasai… It's just that you didn't tell me that your parents would be home… I was planning to invite you at my house later on. Sumimasen." Miyuki said as she bowed down. "Ne, I'll be going now… my mother's waiting for me at home." She added.

Mitsui nodded as she walked Miyuki to the door. He watched her walk away from the door. He sighed as he closed the door. _Aww… This sucks._ He sighed again as he went back to his room. Then, he saw his mother by his bedroom door. She smiled sweetly and opened the door for him.

"Ne, Hisashi… Who was that girl? She's really nice. Is she a friend of yours?" Mitsui's mother asked as Mitsui entered the room. Mitsui stood there for a while and looked down. "Hai… She is just a friend of mine, okasan."

His mother smiled as she approached him. "Why do you sound so disappointed? Don't you want her to be your friend?" she chuckled and added, "Or, you want to be more than just friends?" Mitsui was surprised at what her mother said. But she guessed the right thing, so he decided not to react anymore. He sat by the window and sighed. Her mother chucked as she followed Mitsui, "So, I was right!" Mitsui just chuckled lightly and shrugged off the idea.

"I like her… She's nice and not to mention, pretty… I think she suits you." His mother said as she chuckled. Mitsui chuckled as well as she shook his head. "Yeah, she is really something…" His mother sighed as she placed her chin on her face. "Eh? Why haven't you made a move on her? That's unlikely of you, Hisashi…" her mother asked sarcastically. Mitsui coughed out as he shook his head. His mother is the one who understands him. His father is too busy with work since he was a kid. His mother is a housewife before, but later on became his father's business adviser. But in spite of her busy schedule, she still has time to check up on Mitsui from time to time.

"I'm just saying she's a nice girl and I wouldn't mind having her around the house… You know." His mother said as she winked. Mitsui cringed at the thought as he again shook his head. "Okasan! Onegai… This talk is making me embarrassed! I just have to go with the flow… To tell you the truth, I'm not ready to tell her yet."

His mother smiled as she looked at Mitsui. "Just take your time, Hisashi. I felt something different from her… But I won't tell you what it is…"

Mtsui looked at her in surprise. "Nani! What is it? Is it something bad or what?"

"Iie… I'm not telling!"

"Aww! Unfair!"

Mitsui's mother laughed as she faced Mitsui. "Just be yourself, ne?" she said as she smiled. "Well, I'll be preparing dinner for tonight… I want you to talk to your father, okay? I don't want spoilers for the New Year dinner…" she said as she walked out of the room. Mitsui nodded as he sighed and looked out the window. Everything that his mother tells him is for is own good. And all of them got him out of trouble. He has no choice but to follow whatever she says. _I am being myself now. I juts don't have the guts to tell in her face…_

Meanwhile, Miyuki hurriedly went back to her house. As soon as she entered the living room, she saw her mother drinking tea. Miyuki tried to hide the disappointment in her eyes, but her mother saw it already. Miyuki sighed as she sat in front of her mother and prepared her tea.

"What happened, it looks like someone rejected your gift or something…" Minaku said in as she sipped her tea. Miyuki shook her head as she poured tea into her cup. "It's nothing okasan… It's just that sempai won't be joining us since his parents are with him." Minaku smiled as she cleared her throat. "Well, New Year is a special occasion. Even Hisashi-kun's parents tend to go back here…" Miyuki nodded as she finished her tea without any word.

Later that evening, the families held their New Year dinner and celebration together. After the New Year dinner, Miyuki and her family went outside and lighted Roman candles. After a while, Miyagi and his family also went out to light fireworks. As soon as Miyagi saw Miyuki, he waved and approached her.

"Konbawa Miyu-chan… Happy New Year to you… By the way, thanks for the fruitcake! It was delicious as always!" Miyagi said as he gave Miyuki a thumbs-up. Miyuki smiled as she looked up the fireworks. Miyagi scratched his head as he looked up too. "Hmm.. Weird isn't it… It seems like you've been around for a long time… But the truth is that you only moved here months ago!" Miyagi said as he chuckled. Miyuki nodded as she looked at the Roman candle in her hand.

After a few hours, everyone went to their own houses. They have to wake up early to see the First Sunrise of the year. It is said that you can make a wish while you're watching the sunrise. Miyuki looked out the window and sighed. She can't sleep very much. _I'm excited to make a wish… I don't think our beliefs is any logical… but it wouldn't hurt to believe, right! I have this one wish… _ At the other side of Kanagawa, Mitsui lay on his bed as he stared into the ceiling. The New Year dinner went smoothly. He and his father talked things through and enjoyed the New Year celebration. Now, he has to wait for that first sunrise. _It's kind of weird for me to believe in this wishing stuff… But it wouldn't hurt… I have this one wish…_ He tossed and turned as he kept looking at his drawer. Then, he opened the drawer and took out a turquoise silver bracelet. He saved up some of his allowance just to buy that. This New Year is the perfect time to give it to Miyuki. _5:00… The forecast said sunrise would be at 5:20… I… I think I need to go somewhere… What the heck, I'll make it… I need to give this to Miyuki! _Mitsui jumped out of his bed and took a quick shower. He dashed out of his room and grabbed his coat by the front door.

"Hisashi? Where you going at this time of day?" his mother asked as she stepped out of the kitchen.

"Okasan… I… I'll pay her a visit… ja ne! I'll be back later…" Mitsui said as he stepped out of the house and closed the door. His mother smiled as she gazed at Mitsui from the window. _He's so charming… Although a bit odd with his style… But he's still a charmer… _She chuckled. Mitsui walked as fast as he could. The sun will be rising soon so he has to make it to Miyuki before it does. He ran as fast as he could and looked up the sky. He picked up his pace and took a breath of relief, as he took sight of Miyuki's house.

Meanwhile, Miyuki looked at her clock. She smiled as she stood up and went upstairs to their attic. She climbed up to the roof and looked at the horizon. The sun will be rising any time soon. She smiled as she patiently waited for the sunrise. Mitsui looked at the windows to see if Miyuki is in there. He then noticed someone on the roof. _Miyuki…_ He looked up the sky and saw a faint light coming from the rising sun.

Miyuki smiled as she looked at the sun slowly rising from the mountains far away. She closed her eyes and made a wish. _Please… I want to stay here for a while. Please don't make me leave… I think I don't want to leave everyone, especially… sempai…_

"Miyuki!" someone called out from the ground. Miyuki opened her eyes in surprise and looked around. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Mitsui by the gate. She stared at him for a while as the cold wind brushed against her face. _Sempai… _Mitsui smiled as he looked at the horizon too. He climbed up the fence and looked up at Miyuki. He got a ladder and climbed up to the rooftop.

"Hey… Did I surprise you by any chance? Excuse me but I have to make a wish first…" Mitsui said as he looked at the rising sun by the horizon. _I only have this one wish… I wish Miyuki would be happy for the rest of her life. It doesn't matter whether she likes me back or not… Just as long as she's happy, then I would be okay… _Mitsui faced Miyuki and sat next to her. The both of them were silent for a while.

Miyuki coughed out as she blushed lightly. "Wha.. What brings you here, sempai! Aren't you supposed to watch the First Sunrise with your family?" she asked.

"Eh? What about you? Why aren't you with your okasan and onichan? Hmm…" Mitsui asked as he eyed on Miyuki.

"Eh? Okasan can't climb the roof since she's still weak. Onichan is with her. Okasan said I should get a clearer view of the sunrise since I'm the one who is wishing for something this year…"

"Hmm.. Soreska… Well, what did you wish for then?"

"If I tell you then it wouldn't be a secret… If I tell you it might not come true…"

Mitsui chuckled as he looked at the sun. "I can't believe a philosophical genius like you is even believing in such superstition and tradition…" Miyuki smiled as she looked at the sky. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to believe, right!" she replied. Mitsui nodded as she looked at Miyuki. Both of them were silent as they avoided looking at each other. Mitsui coughed out as he clutched the bracelet in his hand. He took a deep breath and caught Miyuki's attention.

"Eh? Sempai… what's wrong with you?" Miyuki said as she eyed on Mitsui.

Mitsui shook his head and clutched the bracelet even harder. "Look, I have something to give you." He faced Miyuki and handed her a small black box. Miyuki stared at the box on Mitsui's palm. She smiled as she gently took the box and smiled. She opened the box carefully and saw the bracelet.

"Oh, sempai… It's beautiful… Thank you…" Miyuki muttered in a low tone as she took out the bracelet from the box. "How did it occur to you that I like turquoise?"

Mitsui shrugged as he looked away. "Wild guess… I suppose…" he replied as he chuckled.

Miyuki smiled as she looked at the bracelet on her palm. "Well, let's put in on. Mind if you do the honors?" she asked as she showed Mitsui the bracelet.

"Uhh... Iie... not at all.." Mitsui stammered as he took the bracelet from Miyuki's palm and worn it around Miyuki's wrist. Miyuki smiled as she looked at the bracelet. "Arigatou sempai… Hmm… It's really cute…" Miyuki said as she examined the bracelet around her wrist. "I'll take good care of it…"

Mitsui smiled as he nodded. The two of them decided to get off the roof. He watched Miyuki as she went down the ladder. "Hey, wait a sec…" Mitsui muttered under his breath. Miyuki stopped and looked up to Mitsui. "I know this is really a weird question, but… how are you feeling towards Miyagi now? Do you still like him?" Mitsui continued

Miyuki looked up to him as she smiled. "Iie… He's my only my friend now… However, there is this someone that's been bothering my mind for a while…" she replied as she looked at Mitsui.

"Oh yeah? Who is it?" Mitsui asked as he folded his arms. Miyuki smiled as she pointed her finger in the air. "Iie… I'm not telling… You'll find it out someday…" Miyuki said as she winked. Mitsui chuckled as he scratched his head. Miyuki carefully went down the ladder as Mitsui followed her. Miyuki walked Mitsui to the front porch. She watched Mitsui walk away and smiled. _Oh well, he's such a nice guy… Maybe I should tell Aya-chan… Just to get this off my chest… I like him… I… like him… I really do… _She looked at the bracelet and smiled. Meanwhile, Minaku peeked out of the window and smiled. _Watashi no Yuki-chan… I hope she likes the guy too… He's good enough to finish of all her miseries in the past._

**Ermm... I'm not really sure about the New Year celebration in Japan. Although I read somewhere that they usually wait for the First Sunrise and wish for something... Hehehe... This story is about to end soon... (i.e. 3 chaps to go...) Please drop a review on your way out... Thanks and take care! )**_  
_


	13. Chapter 13: The Point at Which it all Fa

**Disclaimer: I really do not own Slam Dunk! I'm not that rich… In fact… I'm as poor as a cockroach! So don't sue me… I have nothing to pay… /heh**

Replies:euthanasia - I miss you too.. /hug tight/ hehehe...  
magnus proestess- hehehe... yeah I play RO too.. wee... and I'm really into magnus priests... weee...  
kuya q c micchy - let's see if your guess is right... hehehe...

Thanks for all those wo reviewed... Hope you like this one...

**Chapter 13 **

The semester break is now over as Shohoku High is again crowded with students. Mitsui arranged his locker and went to his classroom. He has to do some serious studying so that he could play in the Inter High tournament. _Okay… Don't think about the practice later, ne? Concentrate on the lesson and try to be a good shot… _Mitsui mentally nodded his head as he stood up with the rest of his classmates to greet the teacher. Mitsui braced himself as he waited for the teacher to announce his results for the past semester. _Come on! Give a good result!_

"Mitsui Hisashi…" the teacher called out. Those two glorious words rang inside Mitsui's head as he quickly stood up and looked at the teacher. The teacher eyed on Mitsui as she fixed her glasses and looked at the record. "Well now, you did well on your other subjects… But… you failed by one point in your Math test. So you know what that means right?"

Mitsui glared at the teacher and stood there dumbfounded. They had an agreement that if he failed even just one subject of his, then he will be bailed out of the Inter High tournament. He slammed his hand on his desk and stopped to think for a while. "Sensei, it's just one point! Can't you make a consideration?" his voice was calm yet stern. He glared at his teacher with his fist clenched hard.

"We had a deal. Mitsui… and because you failed, we have to do that deal."

"But it's just one point! Darn!"

All eyes are fixed on Mitsui, but he didn't even care. He gripped his desk harder as he listened to the words his teacher said. "I'm sorry… But a deal is a deal." Those words echoed in his mind as he sat down and mentally cursed himself. _Darn it! I can't even play my last Inter High Tournament! Darn it!_ How will he even explain that to Akagi and the rest? Surely Sakuragi will never let him hear the end of his insults. He won't be able to play in the Inter High next year since he's graduating already. He ran his hand through his hair as he began to think.

After class, Mitsui absent-mindedly walked to his locker to fix his stuff. He needs to compose himself in order to face Akagi. He is engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone beside him. He closed his locker with a loud banging sound as he walked away. That someone is none other than Miyuki herself. She watched as Mitsui walk down the hall. _Sempai… Are you okay? Are you angry at me or something?_ She sighed as she looked at the bracelet Mitsui gave her. She sighed as she arranged her locker.

Meanwhile, Mitsui took cautious steps towards the gym. He can already hear Akagi's unassailable voice coming from inside the gym. He sighed as he went inside and looked around. The practice hasn't started yet. Akagi is busy discussing something to Coach Anzai and Ayako is busy reviewing the team profiles of the competing schools. _Well now… I can't talk to Akagi for a while. But I have to inform him as soon as I can… Maybe he can do something about it… _As he looked around, he saw Kogure by the benches reading a book. Mitsui sighed as he approached Kogure.

"Hey Kogure…" Mitsui greeted as he sat next to Kogure. "Are you busy or something?"

"Iie… I just looked up something, that's all." Kogure said as he fixed his glasses. Seeing a vague expression on Mitsui's face, he wondered what's wrong. "Hey, are you okay? It seems like something's bothering you…"

Mitsui sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "I flunked one of my tests, and now sensei wants to bail me out of the Inter-High… She said it's against the rules and no one is exempted from that."

Kogure didn't look half-surprised. He again fixed his glasses and look at the book in his hands. "Well, maybe we can still do something about it… But I'm sure Akagi will be really furious when he finds out. He'll surely question your time management."

"I'm willing to do anything to be able to play in the Inter-high! Even if it takes me all night. I know you understand… I did my best…" Mitsui said under his breath.

Kogure smiled as he patted Mitsui's back. "Well, we still have to wait what happens… Maybe sensei will change his mind. As of now, don't tell Akagi yet, okay?"

Mitsui smirked as he stared off in space. He didn't notice that Miyuki is right behind him, listening to their conversation. Kogure looked at Miyuki and smiled. Miyuki nodded as she walked away as quiet as possible. After a while, Akagi called in the team into formation. They didn't have practice yet. They spent the whole afternoon talking and creating strategies for the Inter-High. Ayako discussed a brief introduction about the teams that will be playing for the Inter-High. Mitsui tried his best to concentrate, but it seems that he can't take his mind off his grades. _I sure hope sensei would give me consideration… I know he saw all my efforts, isn't that enough already?_ Miyagi noticed Mitsui's serious aura and examined his face for a while. He then shrugged and continued listening to Ayako.

After the meeting, the team was dismissed. Mitsui decided to tell Akagi later since Kogure insisted him to do so. He picked up his bag and walked out of the gym. Mitsui stopped on his tracks and looked at the hallway. _By the way, I haven't seen Miyuki all day…That's odd… I should have noticed him by the locker or in the gym… I wonder where she is._ He shrugged as he thought that maybe she went home early. As he went out of the school building, he heard someone calling him. Mitsui looked around and saw his teacher. He still has his class record with him and is on his way home also. "Sensei…"

"Look, I've decided to give you a consideration. To tell you the truth, your grades are not what we can say well. You know that you've been getting C's since the first semester. If you don't keep up, you might repeat your graduating year… Do you understand the circumstances? I'm giving you this chance Mitsui… Show me a decent set of grades and I will let you play in the Inter-High. And for crying out loud, I want you to graduate!" his teacher said in a low yet sarcastic tone.

Mitsui looked confused. But as soon as he heard the bargain, he was overjoyed. "Hontouni? Arigatou sempai! Arigatou gozaimas! I promise I'll do my best!" Mitsui exclaimed in an enthusiastic tone.

His teacher smiled as he looked at his class record. "Well, you should thank Kanazumi-san for it… Maybe she can help you out… She seems very determined… Not to mention way more advanced than any of the seniors!" he said as he grinned.

"Huh? Ka…Kanazumi-san? Mi…Miyuki? What did she do sensei?" Mitsui stammered as he looked at his teacher. The teacher laughed out as he looked at the school building. "Nothing much… She asked me to give you a chance. I heard she's a genius… Maybe she can help you out a bit…" he replied.

"Ahh… Soreska… Anou, arigato… sensei… I'll do my best." Mitsui said as he bowed down. The teacher nodded as he went on his way. Mitsui watched him walk away. He then shifted his eyes on the school building. _Miyuki… How did you know about that? Where are you?_ He thought as he ran back to the school building. He didn't notice that he already passed by Miyuki who is just behind the main entrance. Miyuki smiled faintly as she took one glance at Mitsui.

"Oh, Konnichiwa Mitsui… What brings you back here?" Kogure asked in his usual cool and soothing tone. Mitsui smiled and shook his head at the same time.

"Sensei gave me another chance… It seems like Miyuki talked to my teacher. Demo, how did she know about that? I haven't seen her the whole day." Mitsui wondered as he scratched his head. Kogure laughed as he fixed his glasses.

"Well now, maybe you didn't notice her earlier… Anyway, don't think about it… The important thing is that you're okay to play in the Inter-High…" Kogure said with a grin. Mitsui nodded as he looked at the entrance. He then decided to pay Miyuki a visit.

Meanwhile, Miyuki walked home alone. Ayako is still in school discussing something with Coach Anzai. She sighed as she tightened the grip on her bag and walked down the street with her head down. _Why Miyuki? I can't believe you actually talked to a senior teacher just to ask for sempai's consideration. He even said that I should be the one teaching him. It's kind of ironic since I'm the junior and he's the sempai, right? Hmm… Demo, if I didn't do anything, he can't play in the Inter-High… And I don't want that to happen…_ Miyuki sighed again as she walked towards her front porch and fished out her keys in her pocket. Her mother and brother are back in Tokyo so she is alone again for a while. _Hmm, that's funny, I'm sure I placed my keys around here somewhere… _She opened her bag and looked for her missing keys. _Oh darn! I must have dropped it somewhere… _She then remembered that she had an extra key hidden in one of the lampshades on the wall. She reached up for it, but the lamp is just too high. _Whew! The inconvenience of being petite! _She thought as she tiptoed and extended her arm further. Suddenly, someone got the key from the lampshade. To her surprise, she saw Mitsui holding the keys in his hand and breaking into a silly grin.

"Well now, if you're going to keep a spare key around here, you should at least keep it within your reach…" Mitsui said sarcastically.

Miyuki whined as she folded her arms. "Hai, I know I'm shorter than you, sempai… It's not my fault, my brother placed that key there… Anyway, arigatou sempai…" Miyuki said with a faint smile.

"By the way, I'd like to thank you too… For helping me out with sensei…" Mitsui said in a low tone. "However, I can't really accept the fact that you're going to teach me… I think it should be the other way around…"

Miyuki giggled as she opened her door. "Iie sempai… Well, now that you're here, maybe we can start studying ne? It's just for one night. Then tomorrow, you can take the make-up test… Come on in…" Miyuki replied as she stepped aside. Mitsui walked inside and sat in the living room.

"Can you wait here, I'm just going to prepare dinner. It would just take a minute, okay?" Miyuki said cheerfully.

"No, I'm okay with leftovers you know. If you cook something up, it'll just waste our time." Mitsui said as he looked up the books that he took out from his bag. Miyuki stopped and looked at him. He did have a point somehow.

"Well, okay… I'll just cook up something in the microwave okay? I won't be long…" Miyuki replied as she walked into the kitchen nonchalantly. Mitsui sighed as he opened one of his books and scanned the pages. It's really ironic that someone younger than him is teaching him the stuff that he should know by now. But, what can he do? It's for the Inter-High, and Miyuki is going to kill him if he didn't make it. Meanwhile, Miyuki scanned the fridge for something to eat. She then saw some leftover sashimi from last night. Miyuki always cook up too much food for herself. _…And a good thing too…_ She took out the sashimi from the fridge and cooked it inside the microwave. While waiting, she made orange juice and peeked into the next room. After a while, everything was set. Miyuki smiled as she brought the food into the living room.

"Here… Sorry it took so long… I just threw something into the microwave just like you told me to…" said Miyuki as she set the tray in the center table. Mitsui nodded as he sat on the floor and picked up his chopsticks.

After they have finished their meal. Miyuki stood up and brought the dishes to the kitchen. Mitsui took out his studying mediums and scanned the pages. They started to study for Mitsui's make-up test tomorrow.

After a couple of hours, Mitsui stretched his arms and yawned. As Miyuki wrote an item test, Mitsui opened his book and pretended to be reading something. He looked at Miyuki and smiled. She seems so serious in her work. Mitsui tried to pay attention to Miyuki as she explained the items carefully. But paradox seems to be working it's way with him since he should know all those stuff better than her. _Hmm… What choice do I have anyway? I owe her big time… _Mitsui sighed as he flipped the pages of his book.

Miyuki took a breath of relief as she stared down at her work. "Sempai… It's finished. I know you can answer this easily, ne?" Miyuki said in a low tone as she stood up. "I'll just be by the kitchen if you need me, okay?" She assured as she walked into the kitchen.

Mitsui nodded as he skimmed through the items. _Well now… This is kind of… hard… Oh well, why does she have to torture me with such a hard practice test!_ Mitsui thought as he mentally shook his head and analyzed the problems. Excruciating minutes later he finally finished the test. He checked his books and compared his answers. _Well now… I think I already got this… Now, I need to show this to Miyuki. Which reminds me, she hasn't come out of the kitchen yet. Oh well…_ Mitsui stood up and walked towards the kitchen. He then saw Miyuki asleep by the dining table. She left an unfinished tea in front of her. Mitsui looked at her with a bit of guilt, which pained him inside. He sighed as he lightly shook her.

"Hey, wake up…" Mitsui whispered as he shook her lightly. Miyuki groaned as she continued to sleep. Mitsui scratched his head as he thought of something to wake her up. _Well, the least I could do is to bring her to her room… _He carefully took Miyuki's arm and carried her to her room as stealthy as possible. He laid her gently to bed and covered her with her blanket. He took one last glance at Miyuki and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

Early the next morning, Miyuki woke up feeling drowsy as she propped on her elbows. _Wait a sec… I don't remember walking upstairs… Oh darn! The review! Sempai!_ "Ow!" She exclaimed as her head hit the low shelf. She looked out the window and shielded her eyes from the sunshine. Then, her alarm clock suddenly went off, making her jump in shock. _Eh? I don't remember even setting my alarm clock!_ She went downstairs and looked for Mitsui's things. But all that was left on the table is a piece of paper. She knelt down and opened the note.

Hey, I went home… You fell asleep last night in the kitchen. I took you to your room and set your alarm. Thanks for helping me out… I got what you're trying to explain last night. I'll do my best in that re-test later. Please wait for me by the usual spot later, okay? –Hisashi

Miyuki slapped her forehead lightly as she folded the letter. _I need to apologize to sempai later… It's so dim-witted of me to fall asleep like that! _She prepared herself and walked towards Shohoku High. Later that afternoon, Miyuki waited in her usual spot by the Sakura tree. Mitsui is taking the re-test at that time. She kept glancing at the school building. _I wonder how sempai is doing…_ Miyuki thought as she looked up.

"Hey…" a familiar voice said from behind her. Miyuki turned around and saw Mitsui holding a book in his hand and smiled at her. "Got a good night sleep?"

Miyuki stood up and smiled. "Err... Yeah… So, how did the test go?" she said enthusiastically.

Mitsui shrugged as he smiled. "It was pretty tough… But you know what? The practice test you gave me is even harder! In other words, passing that test was a piece of cake!" he said as he snickered.

"Hountoni! That's great!" Miyuki exclaimed almost jumping with joy. Mitsui nodded as he placed the book in the bench.

"So, I'll be going to practice now. We'll be leaving for the Inter-High tournament in a couple of weeks. So you'll be seeing me less for the rest of the week…" Mitsui said as he looked at Mitsui, scrutinizing her reaction. Miyuki nodded and looked at him with a blank look on her face.

"Just win that tournament, okay?" Miyuki said as she bowed down and smiled. "Now, you should be running off to practice now, ne? Ja ne…" she said in a jovial voice. Mitsui nodded as he ran to the gym. Miyuki smiled as she looked at the bracelet once again.

A couple of weeks later, the Shohoku team has to leave for the Inter-High tournament. They will be away from Kanagawa for a couple of weeks too. The team is now busy completing the said requirements before they leave tomorrow morning. Mitsui leaned on the wall as he checked his list. _Hmm… Seems that I'm already cleared. Good thing!_ He needs to pay a certain someone a visit before he leaves. While walking in the hallway, he happened to meet Kogure who was on his way out of the library.

"Hello there, Mitsui… Finished with your clearance already?" Kogure greeted as he closed the door behind him. Mitsui nodded as he showed him his folder and smiled.

"I arranged everything last night so I don't have to rush… By the way, have you seen Miyuki anywhere?" Mitsui asked as he looked around the hallway.

Kogure nodded as he pointed his thumb to the door. "She's inside. I think she's doing her weekly book reading." He said as he fixed his glasses. Mitsui thanked him and went inside the library. He looked around for a while and finally found her sitting by herself on one of the desks and reading a thick book. Mitsui smiled as he approached her.

"Oh! Hello sempai! Are you finished with your clearance?" Miyuki said in a low tone as she closed the book in her hands. Mitsui nodded as he placed his hand on his head and chuckled. Miyuki smiled at him and muttered. "Good for you…"

"We're leaving early in the morning tomorrow. We won't be going to drop by here. We're going straight to the train station… So… I just dropped by… to say…. goodbye for now…" Mitsui stammered as he looked awkwardly at Miyuki.

Miyuki looked at him for a while with traces of sadness in her eyes. But she looked down and stared at the book on the table. "Be careful while you're away, sempai… I can't promise you that I'll make it to the Inter-High… But I'll hope for the best." She replied as she smiled. "Take care of yourself…"

Mitsui smiled as he nodded and walked away. Miyuki looked at him with her smile slowly fading away. She sighed as she opened her book and continued reading. _The symptoms are showing… _Mitsui went out of the library and walked home by himself. But he happened to catch up with Miyagi who is standing by the sidewalk with Ayako. Mitsui tapped Miyagi's shoulder and greeted him and Ayako.

"Well now… Why aren't you with Miyu-chan? Is she still in school? She said she'd be waiting for you…" Ayako said with a confused yet concerned look. Miyagi nodded as he looked at Mitsui.

"Err… Wait! Don't get me wrong… She said she'd be staying for a little while. She's probably looking up something in the library or something…" Mitsui said as he shook his head and gave out a nervous chuckle. Ayako and Miyagi looked at each other and shrugged.

"So, did you say goodbye already?" Miyagi asked. Mitsui nodded as he waited for the 'go' signal to cross. Ayako took a breath of relief as she looked at Miyagi and Mitsui and stayed silent. She remembered what Miyuki told her earlier in her usual spot.

_-Flashback-_

"_Why do you want to talk about? You know, this is really a great idea since we haven't been together for a while now…" Ayako said as she sat on the soft grass and looked at the blooming Sakura leaves. Miyuki stayed silent as she looked down at the ground. These past few days, Miyuki is mostly in deep thought, not to mention she's spending a lot of time with Mitsui._

"_Hey, is something bothering you?" Ayako asked as she looked closely. "I've been noticing a slight change in your mood… You sometimes look sort of… sad." Miyuki didn't respond for a while. She clutched her skirt and began to utter words._

"_Aya-chan… We need to talk about sempai…" Miyuki uttered. "What do you think sempai would do… if I leave Kanagawa?" Those words echoed in Ayako's head as she leaned closer to her dear friend. What in the world is she talking about?_

"_Miyu-chan, are you leaving Kanagawa?" Ayako asked in almost a whisper. Miyuki shook her head as she clutched her skirt tighter. Her head is still down as she remained silent._

"_Aya-chan… That was just a situational question… Now, I'll ask you again… What do you think sempai would do if I left Kanagawa?" Miyuki asked again, this time with a bit of emphasis on her words. Ayako looked at her best friend carefully. Why the hell is she talking about something like that?_

_Ayako took a deep breath and recalled everything that Mitsui said from the beginning. "Mitsui… is in love with Miyuki for so long…" Ayako thought as she once again looked at the girl. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on Miyuki's head and smiled. "Mitsui will be pretty down if you leave. It's pretty obvious in his actions… That you're very special to him… And I don't think he can bear the thought of you leaving…" Ayako replied as she looked at a somehow emotionally wrecked Miyuki. She then wondered why she's saying things like that._

_Miyuki raised her head up a mere inch. She looked far away as the wind blew harder. " So reska..." she muttered as she sighed. She then lowered her head again and muttered a few words. "Aya-chan… I don't want to lose Mitsui… I… love him… very much."_

"Hey, Aya-chan… Hello?" a voice called out. She snapped back to reality as she looked at Miyagi and Mitsui. "We have to cross now, Aya-chan… Let's go…" he added cheerfully as he held Ayako's hand and crossed the street with Mitsui following them from behind. The trio separated ways by the park. As Miyagi and Ayako looked at Mitsui walk away, she remembered the last words Miyuki said to her before they parted ways. _Aya-chan… Don't tell sempai… Onegai… _

Early the next morning, Mitsui woke up earlier than usual. The team have agreed to meet at the train station at 7:30 a.m. He checked his things and prepared himself for his leave. As he stepped out of his house, he looked at his watch and sighed. _7:15… Oh darn… I'll be late if I drop by the school… Oh well… I guess I have to bear for this. _He thought to himself as he shook his head and walked towards the train station. As he passed by the park, Miyuki appeared from behind one of the trees and watched Mitsui walk away. She sighed as she walked vaguely towards Shohoku High.

A few hours later, Miyuki dressed up for her gym class. She is not really the athletic type, that's why she gets low grades in this subject. Today is one of their practical tests for Track and Field. Usually, she would be very tired afterwards. But she would be okay after a short rest. But this time, she hasn't even started to run yet. But it seems that her body cannot withstand herself anymore. She felt dizzy as she felt the abnormal pacing of her heart. Without hesitation, she ran towards the school and into the washroom. She felt her chest obstruct as she struggled for air. Her head felt like it's being crushed by something as she kneeled down on the floor and kept struggling for air. Then, she heard the door open as someone stepped inside.

"Anou, Miyu-chan? Are you okay?" a soft familiar voice whispered as she leaned down as shoved Miyuki's hair off her face.

"Ha… Haru… ko…" Miyuki muttered as she coughed out droplets of blood on the floor. Haruko's eyes widened as she took Miyuki in her arms. "Kami-sama! What's going on here! Miyu-chan! Snap out of it!" Haruko called out as she slapped Miyuki lightly on the cheek. Slowly, Miyuki felt numb and lost consciousness. "Miyu-chan!"

After a while, Miyuki woke up in a clinic bed. She tried to prop up in her elbows, but she is just too weak to do so. It's as if all her strength was drained out. Her head is still throbbing in pain as she squinted her eyes and exhaled. _Oh god… Please, this is not what I think it is, right? Please, anything but that! _Tears welled up in Miyuki's eyes as she wiped them away. Then, Haruko appeared into the room holding a tray of food. She smiled sweetly at Miyuki as she sat down and placed the tray beside her.

"How are you feeling Miyu-chan? Good thing I got there in time. You are pretty wrecked back there…" Haruko said in a concerned yet sweet tone. Miyuki managed to present a faint smile as she muttered a thank you in almost a whisper. Haruko looked at her for a while with her deep brown eyes. Something odd is going on with Miyuki, and it's not mere sickness at all. "Miyu-chan… Something is terribly wrong with you… What is it?"

Miyuki's deep green eyes widened as she looked back at Haruko who looked very confident in finding out the answers. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tears welled up in her eyes as they fluttered open. Haruko leaned over and placed her hand on her forehead and smiled. _Should I tell her? I'm not ever sure about this… But… everything I'm feeling right now points only to one thing… All the things I looked up… is all true… _

_-Flashback-_

_A DNA experiment is a terminal disease that one should be willing to take the risks. If the DNA alteration somewhat backfires, the body will react abnormally and will slowly expire due to the sudden re-arrangement of the normal body genes since birth. The chances of the laboratory specimen to live after this experiment are only about 5 percent. The symptoms would probably show up in the most vital part of the body, the circulatory and respiratory system. The inside will slowly deteriorate and so is the function of the brain…_

Miyuki opened her eyes as she looked at Haruko once again. "Haru-chan… I… I'm dying…" she whispered as her tears fell down the cheeks. The words echoed in Haruko's mind and took her a long time to fully comprehend. She looked at Miyuki who is breaking down in front of her. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around her as Miyuki held her close.

"I… I don't want to… die… yet… Haru-chan." Miyuki muttered as she cried and held on to Haruko.

"There must be some mistake Miyu—"

"There isn't! It's bound to be this way from the very beginning my irrational father did those darn experiments on me! It's all his fault!" Miyuki exclaimed as she cried even harder. Haruko comforted Miyuki as she thought of someway to make her forget.

After a while, Miyuki calmed down with the tears still present in her eyes. She took Haruko's hand and looked straight into her eyes. "Please… don't tell this to anyone… Not even Aya-chana and Ryo-chan… Especially… sempai… Please…" Haruko hesitated at her request. But looking into Miyuki's pleading eyes made her agree to keep everything under wraps.

**Wee… the ending is coming up very soon/thrills/. How will Mitsui deal with this when he finds out! Just when Miyuki finally made up her mind with Mitsui! Please drop by a review on your way out! Thanks! TC!**


	14. Chapter 14: Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk… If I did, then… you know already… Miyagi will be mine/laughs out/**

**Chapter 14**

Miyuki looked out the window of her room. She can't bear to tell to her family about what happened weeks ago. As she held the medical encyclopedia in her hands, a deep sigh came to her. That's it, she is indeed sick and her life is already limited. Tears welled up in her eyes every now and then. She felt so alone, in the solitude of her room, away from her family who knew nothing about this, her friends, and Mitsui. _Once your gene is manipulated, there can be no antidote for the side effects… That's the fact that you have t admit… _Now, that fact is just simply hard to accept. What would everyone around her feel? As much as she wanted to leave this sickening life of hers before, she don't have the strength to do so anymore. And it was all because she met someone who changed all the philosophy she knew… Hisashi Mitsui.

She wiped away her tears, locking herself up in her room and finding ways on how to cure her curse. Haruko visits every now and then to check up on her. Miyuki is lucky enough to have Haruko left behind to share her grief. It is a bright sunny morning; the usual scenario of spring is just outside her windowsill. However, she can't bear to smile. The traces of cheer and joy in her deep green eyes vanished and the cold and expressionless ones replaced them once again. After a few days, the Shohoku team will come back to Kanagawa. Haruko said that the team is competing for second place once again. But then again, the team performed a good start for a rookie team in the Inter-High. Miyuki suddenly remembered, she didn't promise Mitsui that she could make it.

Meanwhile, at the Inter-High tournament, the teams are now doing their warm-up exercises. Miyagi did a few sit-ups with Sakuragi and Kogure. That's when Kogure noticed that Mitsui is nowhere to be found.

"Hey, have you guys seen Mitsui around? I haven't noticed him do some warm-up…" Kogure asked as he looked around.

"He warmed-up a bit, but he said he'd just make a quick phone call. He'll be back before the game starts." Ayako assured as she looked out the doors.

Mitsui walked down the hallway and into the phone booth. What a day for him to left his phone at the hotel. He dug his coins and dialed Miyuki's number.

Miyuki was in the kitchen, staring blankly at the food Haruko left her. She can't bear to eat anything after what happened. Her body is getting frail and weak that she can't even bear to stand up straight for long periods of time. That's when the phone rang. At first, Miyuki just ignored the continuous ringing. But after a few tries, she stood up and answered the phone.

"Moushi moushi… Kanazumi-san here…"

"Anou, ohayou… Miyuki?"

"sempai? Err… Where are you? Aren't you supposed to be in the Inter-High game?"

"Hmm… I just thought I'd call you up before hitting the court…"

"Anou… Gomen sempai… I… I can't make it… I'm kind of sick. I have a light cough…"

"Eh? You're sick? Who's taking care of you? Is Kaname-san or Minaku-san with you?"

"Err… Iie… It's okay… It's just a cold… Haruko-chan is checking up on me once in a while… No need to worry, sempai…"

"Anyway, when I get back, I'm dropping by at your house first, got that? Well, off to the game… Ja ne Miyuki! Odaijini…"

"Anou… I wish you all the luck kami-sama might impart on you… Odaijini…"

Miyuki didn't realize that Mitsui already hung-up. She held the phone in her hands and smiled a bit. Mitsui has been always so sweet to her. Not to mention that he's willing away everything just for her. But, what is his purpose of doing all those good things to her. Does he like her back as much as she does?

Mitsui ran back to the court as Akagi and the others waited for him. "Gomen nasai! I just made a quick phone call… Sorry to trouble you guys…" he said as he scratched his head. Akagi and the others just smiled as they shook their heads. It seems that it's clear to all of them who Mitsui actually called.

"Micchy you darn slowpoke! How long are you going to stay all so sweety-eyed on Miyuki? For crying out loud! You're graduating anytime soon and yet you still haven't said anything!" Sakuragi yelled at Mitsui as he lightly punched him on the chest.

"I'll tell her… Don't worry! You don't need to be excited about it!" Mitsui remarked as he patted the loudmouth's shoulder. Ayako could only smile at the scene. But in her mind, the words Miyuki told her kept echoing in her mind. _"I… love him… very much…" Demo, why doesn't she even bother to keep everything to herself? She's too oblivious to notice Mitsui's main purpose for protecting her… _

The buzzer signaled the first half of the Inter-High tournament: Shohoku High School and Teijun no Haira High School. After a few attempts of scoring, Mitsui and Rukawa are having a hard time scoring against the tight defense of Teiji High. Their captain already scored 10 points while Shohoku only managed to score 3 points, thanks to Rukawa's slam-dunks. The time for the first half is running out as Sakuragi held the ball and looking for someone to pass it on. Akagi is open, but the Teiji captain is blocking Akagi as well.

"Where the hell should I pass this stupid ball!" Sakuragi yelled as he tried to keep the ball away from the other team. As Sakuragi looked for open teammates, Miyagi overtook two of the tall players of Teiji and ran beside Sakuragi.

"Hanamichi! Pass the ball to me! Hurry!" Miyagi shouted as he prepared to receive. Sakuragi hesitated to pass the ball since 2 players are trailing right behind Miyagi. "Just pass the darn ball, Sakuragi! I'll take care of the rest!" Sakuragi passed the ball to Miyagi, almost missing Miyagi's hands. He then ran as fast as he could towards the ring, dribbling the ball at top speed so that it would not be easily stolen. As he went nearer the ring, he threw the ball in an upward motion. Just as soon as the ball entered the ring, the buzzer for half time rang off. Miyagi stooped down for a while to catch his breath. Akagi and the others looked at the referee as he signaled to the judges.

"He raised his hand and announced. "Basket not counted!" Sakuragi's head gave off steam as he clenched his fist and approached the referee. "Why you… Why do you think that ball is not counted! It scored the same time as the buzzer went off! The ball was ALREADY inside the net when the buzzer went off! Are you darn blind or something!" Sakuragi yelled at the referee as he held him by his collar. Miyagi held him back and reasoned with the referee himself. Mitsui knelt down and punched the floor. "Sorry guys… That's what the judges said… We can't do anything about it…" the referee replied.

Meanwhile at the bleachers, Kainan are watching the game. Maki could just shake his head in disbelief. So, there are cheating and favoritism going on this year. Kiyota clenched his fist as he stood up. "I hate to admit it, but Sakuragi's right! That basket should be counted! What the hell!" he yelled and gritted his teeth.

Maki silenced Kiyota as he pulled him back to his seat. "Don't be such a nuisance, Kiyota!" Maki replied as he held Kiyota by the shoulder.

The judges decided to let the teams jumble. Akagi and the Teiji captain stood face to face as the referee threw the ball in the air. Akagi managed to pass the ball to his teammates as Miyagi caught it and is on his way towards the ring. Mitsui is losing some precious stamina as he felt his eyes getting blurred. _Darn! I won't pass out… Not here… Not yet!_ He thought as he fought off the temptation of passing out at the last second.

There are only 2 minutes left, and Teiji High is still in the lead by 8 points. There is very minimal chance for them to actually win the game. But like Sakuragi said before, don't stop until you hear the final buzzer. Mitsui is getting slower and slower as he looked at Rukawa who is aiming for a score, but the captain managed to block his attempt and pass it to his teammate. The time is rapidly slipping away as there is only a minute left. Again, Rukawa has the ball. But he is being strictly guarded, making it impossible to score. That's when he saw Mitsui near enough to the ring to score. Rukawa swallowed all his pride and threw the ball to Mitsui. As Mitsui caught the ball, he kept the ball away from his opponents as possible. He is getting weaker, but he has the chance to score. _Darn! Will you just get out of my way!_ He thought as he tightened his grip.

_I'll be wishing for the best sempai… I know you can do it… _ Mitsui managed to outrun his opponents as he ran towards the ring. It's only a few seconds until time runs out, but he didn't mind it at all. He stood there and threw the ball towards the ring. The ball entered the basket 2 seconds before the buzzer rang. Shohoku High lost to Teijun no Haira High School. Mitsui stopped down to catch his breath, and so with the rest of the team. The Teijun team captain approached Akagi and nodded. "Your team did very well for a freshman team in the Inter-High… It's nice playing against you guys." He muttered. Akagi could just look at him as he smirked.

Miyagi ran towards Mitsui and so is Sakuragi. "Mitsui… Are you okay? You stayed up all throughout the game!" Miyagi exclaimed as he ruffled Mitsui's hair.

Kogure approached his teammates as he smiled. "We did pretty great for someone new in the Inter-High… We shouldn't brood over this…" he said. The three nodded as Mitsui managed to stand up straight.

After a while, the team went back to their hotel to pack up. They're going back to Kanagawa tomorrow morning. The team celebrated with a fabulous dinner at the dining hall. Coach Anzai stood up and raised his glass. "Cheers for managing to surviving the Inter-high that far!" he announced. The team agreed as they cheered on and ate their dinner.

"You know, I missed Kanagawa while were away…" Sakuragi said as he munched down on ramen and riceballs.

Miyagi agreed as he munched down on the food. Ayako giggled as he looked at Mitsui. "Hmm… I know someone who is itching to go back to Kanagawa as soon as possible!" Ayako remarked as she looked at Mitsui who is busy talking to Kogure.

Mitsui caught Ayako looking at him. "Oi… are you pertaining to me Aya-chan?" he mumbled as he stuffed his mouth with sashimi.

"Of course, who do you think I'm pertaining to?" Ayako said sarcastically. Miyagi and the others laughed out as Mitsui's face turned into a light shade of red. Kogure laughed out as he laid down his chopsticks for a while.

"Hmm… I think I know why… Haruko-chan said Miyu-chan's kinda sick…" Kogure said as he looked at Ayako and Miyagi. The team laughed out again as Sakuragi stood up with his chopsticks.

"For crying out loud! After a month, you're leaving Shohoku High! When are you planning to confess!" Sakuragi shouted at the top of his lungs. Mitsui sweatdropped and continued with his meal.

"I have nothing to confess…" Mitsui mumbled.

Coach Anzai laughed his trademark laugh as he looked at Mitsui. "How ironic… A great player like you stammers in front of a high school girl…" he remarked.

Mitsui continued eating. Then he replied. "Sensei! I'm also in high school you know!"

Coach Anzai laughed as he looked at his meal. "You know, Sakuragi is right. You're leaving high school soon… Why can't you just tell her then? Or do you want the whole Shohoku team to barge at her doorway and do the courting for you?" he replied sarcastically. Mitsui turned bright red as he let it be. There's no stopping them at all. After their dinner celebration, the Shohoku team turned up for the night.

Early the next morning, the team left for Kanagawa. They arrived just before lunchtime. As promised, Mitsui chose to visit Miyuki first. He walked with Miyagi and Ayako who both agreed to pay her a visit as well. As soon as they reached her house, Miyagi knocked on the door. After a while, Miyuki opened the door.

"Eh? Konnichiwa minna-san! What brings you guys around here?" Miyuki asked sheepishly. Ayako and Mitsui noticed Miyuki's change in an instant. She is very pale and weak and not to mention her eyes are all puffy and red.

"Miyuki… What happened to you? You look terrible…" Mitsui asked as he examined Miyuki's face.

Miyuki gripped on the door as she looked at Mitsui. "I..It's nothing… really… It's just mere upper respiratory infection… Nothing more…" she muttered as she managed to give out a faint chuckle.

"Upper respiratory blah blah a.k.a. common cold cold doesn't drain a person's body like that… Are you sure you're okay?" Ayako asked as she placed her palm on her forehead. Without sensing any fever, Ayako just smiled and nodded.

Miyuki invited them inside as they narrated to her the whole story. Mitsui fixed his eyes on Miyuki. Now that the whole team knew about his little so-called infatuation, he has to be on a lookout. The last thing that he needs right now is a bunch of basketball lunatics courting Miyuki for him. He pictured the scene in his mind. _Hmm… comical yet very unpleasant!_ He thought as he sweatdropped. As Ayako and Miyuki talked, Mitsui smiled faintly as he watched how the two got along again. In spite of her pale face and seemingly forlorn eyes, Mitsui still gets captivated on the way Miyuki smiles. Ayako really doesn't fail in putting up a smile on the girl's face. What a way to go. Heck, even Miyagi noticed that.

After a week, Miyuki finally managed to come back to school. Ayako and Miyuki walked together to school. Ayako noticed how Miyuki is oddly silent that time. She exhaled as she looked at her best friend. "Miyu-chan… Mitsui-sempai will be graduating next week… He said he passed his senior year. Looks like he put some effort in studying as well." she started. Miyuki simply nodded as she continued walking with her head down. "Well… Aren't you going to say anything to him then?" Ayako asked again.

Miyuki shook her head as she opened her mouth. She seems hesitated to speak out. _The question is that… Will I even live long enough to see him claim his diploma? Would I live long enough to be with him for at least a month? Why does it have to be this way? Why did kami-sama even made our paths crossed when he's going to take me very soon! _Miyuki closed her eyes as she felt pain in her head. Thinking too much nowadays makes things even worse.

Ayako examined Miyuki's expression. There is something that she's hiding from her. But Ayako can't just confront it to her. Maybe Miyuki is just thinking about what she should do to Mitsui. "Well, Miyu-chan… If you don't want to tell him yet… Then don't… Demo, you're wasting precious time and feelings you know…" Ayako explained.

Miyuki nodded as she tightened her grip on her notebook. "Hai… I'm aware of that… don't worry Aya-chan… I'll think up of something…" she replied. Ayako's nagging might make her insane. "I hope you haven't forgotten that it's going to be our secret…" Ayako nodded as she lowered her head. _Demo… _

As they reached the school, Ayako and Miyuki separated ways. Miyuki walked by herself to the washroom. No one else was around as she took out her phone. She called up her brother last night and confessed that her symptoms are showing up. Her eyes were still puffy since she cried again last night. Kaname said he would be looking for someone who can help her. After all, he said that their father is already insane. Maybe he just exaggerated that part. As she scanned the messages, she saw Kaname's new message: Yuki-chan… I found a doctor that can help you… She's Kaori's cousin and specializes in genetic disorders… You need to leave Kanagawa next week.

Miyuki took a slight breath of relief as she closed the message. Maybe there is still hope for all of this. She looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She looked awful, pale and forlorn. Kaname reminded her not to cry too much. She wiped away the tears pooling in her eyes as she went out of the washroom and walked to her locker. That when she saw him. He is there, waiting for him as always. Somehow, she can't bear to see him right now. She'll just break down in front of him, pretending that nothing serious is happening to her right now. All she wanted right now is to hold him and tell him everything. But she can't, Miyuki Kanazumi is… afraid.

"Miyuki? Hey… Hello?" Mitsui muttered as he snapped his finger in front of Miyuki. The girl snapped back to reality as she looked up to Mitsui. She smiled faintly as she bowed down. "Finally, you managed to come back to earth…" he added sarcastically.

"Yeah, I guess so… Gomen nasai sempai…" Miyuki muttered as she opened her locker. Mitsui smiled as he closed his locker.

"Hey… Got good news for you… Remember when I told you that I might not graduate this year. Guess what, sensei said I actually passed and I'm going to graduate! Isn't that great?" Mitsui exclaimed as he looked at Miyuki.

"Hontouni? That's great news sempai! Congratulations!" Miyuki exclaimed as she managed to smile. _Mitsui-sempai is going to graduate… Too bad I can't show him how much I'm happy to know that…_

"Arigatou… You helped me pass to you know… Ermm… I was thinking… Since you've helped a lot and all, I would like to ask you a favor. Would you come to the graduation ceremony? It would mean a lot to me if you do… Please…" Mitsui pleaded as he clasped his hands together. Miyuki stood there dumbfounded as she looked at Mitsui. Kaname said she should leave next week. How will she explain this to Mitsui?

"Well, okay sempai…" Miyuki muttered. Mitsui smiled as he nodded. "Well then, I'll be waiting for you… Ja ne… I need to go now… I'll be expecting you then!" Mitsui replied as he walked away. Miyuki could just stand there and watch him walk away. She knew deep inside of her that she couldn't really make it. She needs to tell some stupid lie because she can't bear to say no. The hardest part of all is to say goodbye without having him figure out why.

The days passed by for Miyuki. She can't bear to see Mitsui everyday. Since the undergrads are not doing much at school now, she'd rather stay home and think things through. Realizing that it's only a couple of days until Mitsui's graduation, her mind is debating whether she should go or just disappear without any word at all. She felt like a liar, keeping her sickness to herself. Even Ayako doesn't know about it, even Miyagi, which is just next door to her. She is lying to all the people she loved in a different level. That's when she remembered the package she got yesterday. A prestigious university in England is inviting her to get her college education there. She decided to make this as an excuse for Mitsui. Taking a deep breath, she dialed Mitsui's number.

"Hello? Hisashi here…" Mitsui answered in a calm tone. Miyuki hesitated to speak as she gathered all her courage.

"Anou… sempai… it me…"

"Miyuki? Hey… Is there anything you need?"

"Anou… yeah… you see… I don't think I'll be able to make it to your graduation…"

"Eh? And why is that?"

"Anou… you see… I need to… fly to Europe at that day."

There was awkward silence after that. Tension grew in Miyuki's chest as she waited for his reply.

"I'm afraid if you don't go… Then I will not get my diploma… I'll skip graduation…"

"Demo…"

"I'll be waiting for you then… Ja ne…"

The words stabbed Miyuki's heart as she hung up the phone. Judging Mitsui, he always keeps his word. His graduation means a lot to him. Miyuki can't just take that away like that. As Mitsui hung up the phone, she said she'd do everything she can to make it. But Kaname already set the date. She has to make it to Tokyo as soon as possible. Time is precious when it comes to her illness.

_Sempai… Doesn't have a clue on how painful it is for me to leave him like that! I can't even tell this darn feelings to him…Everything is just going to get wasted…_

Her thinking was cut short when she heard a knock on the door. She wiped away her tears and opened the door. Kogure was there, smiling at her. "Ohayou, Miyu-chan… We need to talk about something…" Kogure said. Miyuki nodded as she led him to the living room. There was awkward silence between the two of them. It is very rare for Kogure to drop by since his house it a bit far from hers.

"Kaname… told me about your illness…" Kogure began. "He asked me to look after you once a while…"

Miyuki smiled as she lowered her head. "Oniichan is really sweet… Anou… I hope I'm not a big trouble for you… My house is a bit far from yours…" she muttered.

"Iie… not at all… After all, you are Kaname's imouto… ne?" Kogure replied as he smiled. Miyuki lowered her head as she gripped at the pillow in her hands. Kogure noticed tears coming from Miyuki. "Anou… is there something wrong, Miyu-chan?"

Miyuki wiped away her tears, but they kept falling involuntarily. She leaned on Kogure as she cried her heart out. "I don't want to die Kiminobu-san! I don't want to leave my friends and my family… And… and… I can't bear to leave sempai!" she cried out. Kogure looked at her as he comforted her. "Ki-kiminobu-san… i-mitsui means the whole world to me… I…I love him so much… I… I don't want to leave… I … I might not handle the regret!"

Kogure was surprised at Miyuki's confession. After all this time, Mitsui didn't have a one-sided love after all. Everything about Miyuki is just under wraps. He comforted her until she fell calm. So that's why Kaname wanted him to watch her. His mind is debating whether she would tell her that Mitsui felt the same way for her as well.

"Waiting is wasting, Miyu-chan…" Kogure muttered in Miyuki's ear. "Yes, there are some things that are better left unsaid. Demo, feelings shouldn't be kept locked within yourself… You're not going to be at peace if you keep it to yourself."

Miyuki stayed silent as she listened to Kogure. "Demo… I don't want to tell him I'm dying…"

Kogure looked into her and smiled. "Well, it's up to you… If you don't want to tell him, then show him…" Kogure muttered. Miyuki lowered her head. The reason is that, she was always scared of the outcome. She doesn't want to hear him reject her feelings for her… if ever. Her past experience with Miyagi might be too much for her already. She doesn't want to get hurt again.

**A/N: In the anime/manga, It is said that Mitsui didn't graduate with Kogure and Akagi… That's why he was made Miyagi's vice-captain. But, I can't bear the thought of him as a repeater… heheh… So I changed some facts a bit… Heheheh… Thanks for reading, please drop a review on your way out… Arigatou minna-san…**


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